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Explosion and fire on the BP-licensed Transocean drilling rig Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Oil is found to be leaking from the well.
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US coast guard remote underwater cameras report the well is leaking 1,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd).
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Underwater robots try to fix problem.
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The coast guard says the flow of oil is 5,000bpd, five times greater than first estimated, after a third leak is discovered.
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President Obama talks about the spill at the White House, his first public comments on the issue.
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The coast guard announces the leak will affect the Gulf shore.
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Obama visits the Gulf coast to see cleanup efforts first hand.
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BP executives face Congress in a closed session, as the White House backs a Senate proposal to increase the limit on liability payouts from $75m to $10bn (£6.5bn) for the cost of a spill.
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esident Obama meets with top executives and lawyers of BP at the White House. He later announces that BP agreed to create a $20 billion fund to pay claims and damages.
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The US departments of interior and homeland security announce plans for a joint investigation of the explosion and fire.
