Gulf Oil Leak enraging and heartbreaking: Obama

LONDON - US President Barack Obama has said that he is heartbroken at BP’s failure to stem the oil flow in the Gulf Oil slick that would have devastating and irreversible consequences on the fragile aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico.

He made the remarks after BP officials disclosed that the attempts to stop the flow of oil using a method called ‘top-kill’, which involves packing the well with mud, have failed.

It was the latest in a series of failed attempts by BP to cut off the flow of oil.

BP will now try to stem the flow again by cutting the pipe that lies deep underwater and fitting a containment valve over the leak, an effort expected to take four to seven days, The Mirror reports.

The frustrating news has caused Obama to cut short a holiday weekend as he visited Louisiana to pacify angry inhabitants whose livelihood now stands threatened with many employed in the fisheries industry.

He reassured them that there will be no let up in the clean up efforts and that they would continue until a solution is worked out.

“As I said … every day that this leak continues is an assault on the people of the Gulf Coast region, their livelihoods, and the natural bounty that belongs to all of us,” he said.

“It is as enraging as it is heartbreaking, and we will not relent until this leak is contained, until the waters and shores are cleaned up, and until the people unjustly victimised by this man-made disaster are made whole,” he added.