Oil spill looms in Gulf of Mexico after rig disaster

WASHINGTON - A major environmental disaster was looming in the Gulf of Mexico as US Coast Guard officials confirmed Saturday that the well under the site of an oil rig disaster was leaking.

Petty Officer John Edwards told CNN that 1,000 barrels of oil - about 168,000 litres - were seeping from at least two places on the floor of the Gulf under the site.

One of the leaks was at the actual well site, while a second leak was from a pipe connected to the well. The Coast Guard has been using robotic cameras to search the area over the past several days, and until Saturday had found no evidence of a leak.