BP oil spill in Gulf of Mexico growing by 42,000 galls per day

SF Gate - The threat of a major oil spill off the coast of Louisiana grew significantly Saturday as a leak was discovered in the oil well that was the site last week of a catastrophic accident that sank a huge drilling rig and likely killed 11 workers.

The spill, which a day earlier Coast Guard officials had thought was contained within a 16-square-mile area on the surface, now covers 400 square miles, and may grow as the well spews 42,000 more gallons of oil per day at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said Saturday.

"This is a very serious spill," she said at a news conference updating the situation. Read more.