An environmental disaster looms ahead following an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico last week. About 42,000 gallons of oil a day are leaking into the Gulf from the blown-out well drilled by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. As authorities seek to control what could be the worst oil spill to date in US history, marine creatures and barrier islands remain the most vulnerable. —Text & photos from Agencies
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| A satellite photo provided by NASA shows the oil slick from the 42,000 gallon-a-day oil leak from a well in the Gulf of Mexico following and explosion at the The Deepwater Horizon platform on April 20. The Mississippi Delta is at image center, and the oil slick is a silvery swirl to the right. |
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| Crude oil sits on the surface of the water that has leaked from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans, Louisiana. An estimated leak of 1,000 barrels of oil a day are still leaking into the gulf. |
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| This aerial photo shows, oil, at top of photo, in the Gulf of Mexico, eight miles off the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River at the Southern tip of Louisiana on. |
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| A crew boat is seen past workers on an oil skimmer assisting in the cleanup of a leaking pipeline that resulted from last week's explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. |
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| A boat makes its way through crude oil that has leaked from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead. |
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| Weathered oil from a leaking pipeline that resulted from last week's explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig is seen on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. |
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| A seagull flies over the Chandeleur Islands, home of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge, is seen off the Southeastern coast of Lousiana. The barrier islands are at risk from the growing oil spill. |
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| A starfish washes ashore on the Chandeleur Islands. |
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An oil rig near the Deepwater Horizon wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico. |
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| A Sandpiper is seen on the shore of the Chandeleur Islands, home of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge, off the Southeastern coast of Lousiana. |
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| Elouise Brown, right,and her sister Bonnie Bethel, both of Kentwood, La., speak about the beauty of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Oil from a blown-out well could be a threat to destroy the Gulf Coast wildlife and damage the beach front along the Coast which is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. | |
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| Shrimping and fishing boats are seen docked at sunrise. The seafood industry in the Gulf of Mexico could be adversely affected by the growing oil slick that resulted from the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig last week. | |
Source:
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