BP oil spill costs top $3.5bn

Oil giant BP said today that the cost of the Gulf of Mexico spill had hit US3.5bn (€2.78bn), but added that its latest efforts to contain the disaster were on track.

The firm has engaged 46,000 staff and 6,400 ships so far in the clean-up effort since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank on April 20 and crude began spewing into the ocean.