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Deepwater Horizon
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Fireboats battle a blaze on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, April 2010.
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Deepwater Horizon

oil rig, Gulf of Mexico
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Fireboats battle a blaze on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, April 2010.
Deepwater Horizon oil rig fire Fireboat response crews attempt to extinguish the blaze aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, April 21, 2010.

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion on April 20, 2010, resulted in the largest marine oil spill in history. Located in the Gulf of Mexico, about 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana, the rig sank two days after the explosion. Over the following months, it released nearly five million barrels of oil into the gulf. The disaster significantly impacted the environment, affecting thousands of birds, mammals, and sea turtles, and causing widespread ecological damage to marine life and habitats. The spill also had severe economic consequences for the Gulf Coast states, disrupting industries such as fishing and tourism.1234

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6 Britannica Sources
  1. Deepwater Horizon Disaster: Five Years Later
  2. Deepwater Horizon oil spill
  3. Deepwater Horizon oil spill - Environmental costs
  4. Deepwater Horizon oil spill - Aftermath and impact
  5. Deepwater Horizon oil spill - Leaking oil
  6. Who Owns the Gulf of Mexico?

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