BP officials are working desperately to try and get a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico under control as it continues to seep barrel after barrel of oil into the pacific ocean. The spill started following an explosion on an oil platform and has continued to rage on nearly 30 days later. Despite efforts to contain the spill, nothing has panned out quite as expected. The most recent effort to quell the spill has involved the use of a mile long tube used to redirect the oil to the surface of the water. BP crews managed to attach the end of this tube to one of the pipes leaking oil under the Pacific ocean. They are now working to burn off the natural gas released by the underwater pipe. According to the Wall Street Journal, there are nearly 500 BP crew members actively working at the site of the spill trying to contain it. Some critics continue to charge that the giant hasn’t been doing enough to address the problem. Questions continue to mount as to why measures weren’t taken to have prevented the initial explosion that caused the mess.

Even if the latest technique does work, it is not a permanent solution. Oil will continue to surge out of the pipe until it is properly clogged. BP estimates that this could take at least two months.

An oil rig that exploded off the shore of Louisiana Tuesday night causing several fatalities sunk Thursday, raising concern that the environmental fallout could be much worse than initially predicted. Experts now fear that more than 300,000 gallons of crude oil may flow into the oceans surrounding the Mississippi and Louisiana coastlines for days to come, endangering marine life and possibly closing beaches in the area. It continues to remain unclear as to what exactly caused the explosion, but petroleum giant BP (who was leasing the rig) is taking the spillage very seriously. They have deployed planes to help treat the affected sea water with special chemicals to help break down the oil. Some ships have also been deployed to help recover some of the oil. Underwater mechanisms were also being put into place to help control the spread of the oil. Cleanup crews are actively working to minimize the impact the spillage might have on marine life.

As of this writing, eleven workers that were active on the rig platform prior to the explosion are still missing. It is feared that these workers were operating in close proximity to the explosion site, making survival unlikely. As of Wednesday, nearly 20 other workers were rescued from the oil rig with injuries spanning from smoke inhalation to burns, according to the Washington Times. Our hearts go to the families who lost loved in ones in this tragedy and we wish those who survived a quick recovery!

Funeral processions have already gotten underway for some of the workers who were lost in the tragic incident, the most recent on Friday.

An comprehensive investigation is currently underway into what exactly caused the explosion. According to reports that circulated earlier in the week, the Upper Big Ranch mine had been issued a number of violations by officials, few of which had been attended to properly or promptly.

We can only hope that mine owners begin to take any necessary steps to ensure their works are safeguarded against such tragedies in the future. Our hearts are with the families that lost loved ones in this horrible event.