BP's 'Top Kill' Fails

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – BP executive Doug Suttles says that after more than three days of off-and-on pumping of heavy mud into the well, it's clear the oil is still roaring into the Gulf.

"This scares everybody; the fact that we can't make this well stop flowing, or haven't succeeded in that so far."

Suttles says a relief well could take a few months.

None of us want to wait until these relief wells get down at the point that that occurs."

Suttles says robots will now make a clean cut in a leaking pipe so a cap can fit snugly over and funnel oil to a surface vessel. It's similar to the pipe it inserted into the leak, but he says the cap will contain much more oil.
For NPR News, I'm Eileen Fleming in New Orleans