Under mounting pressure from the media and President Barack Obama, BP has for the first time released video showing the oil and gas spewing into the ocean floor, 23 days after the April 20 explosion at a rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

ABC News and other news media reported they have been trying to get their hands on video of the leak for quite some time, but that BP has been reluctant to provide it. Diane Sawyer on ABC World News Tonight asked, “Why did BP wait so long to release this video?”

It’s unclear exactly when the first video footage of the leak was taken. However, one could reasonably assume that some kind of footage must have been available earlier because it would seem logical that BP would need such footage to plan efforts to plug the leak such as the attempted containment dome.

Video dated May 11 is currently up on BP’s Web site, along with testimony by company experts and ongoing updates about the corporation’s response to the disaster. There is also video dated May 7 that shows the leak and BP lowering the containment dome.

“Subsea efforts continue to focus on, firstly, progressing options to stop the flow of oil from the well through interventions via the blow out preventer (BOP) and, secondly, attempts to contain the flow of oil at source to reduce the amount spreading on the surface. These efforts are being carried out in conjunction with governmental authorities and other industry experts,”

BP says.

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BP, BP explosion, deepwater horizon, Diane Sawyer, energy, environment, Gulf Oil Spill, offshore drilling, oil leak, President Barack Obama