BP's Top Kill Fails

The so-called "top kill" approach to stop a massive leak in the Gulf of Mexico has failed, prompting BP to try other options.
            
BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles.             
 
[Doug Suttles, BP Chief Operating Officer]:          
"After three full days of attempting top kill we have been unable to overcome the flow from the well so we believe it is time to move on to other options." 
           
The next step is using the lower marine riser package cap, which would involve sawing off part of the leaking pipe atop a failed blowout preventer,  and placing a cap and seal over the opening.  
            
[Doug Suttles, BP Chief Operating Officer]:          
"This operation should be able to capture most of the oil, but I want to stress the word most because it is not a tight mechanical seal - but it should be able to capture most of the oil. This job should take approximately four days but it could take longer." 
           
The disaster, which has coated parts of Louisiana' fragile marshlands in oil, and dealt a serious blow to the Gulf Coast fishing industry, is now into its 40th day. 
           
The Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers and unleashing an underwater torrent of oil that the government estimates at 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day.