ExxonMobil faces lawsuit after Arkansas oil spill April 8, 2013 -- Updated 2156 GMT (0556 HKT) Cleanup operations this month following a release of crude oil near Mayflower, Arkansas. Residents file a class-action lawsuit, seeking more than $5 million in damages ExxonMobil has promised to cover oil spill cleanup costs A pipeline rupture allowed thousands of barrels of crude oil to flow into a residential area (CNN) -- Residents in Mayflower, Arkansas, have filed a class-action lawsuit against ExxonMobil after a pipeline rupture that allowed thousands of barrels of heavy crude oil to flow into a residential area. They are seeking more than $5 million in damages. "This Arkansas class action lawsuit involves the worst crude oil and tar sands spill in Arkansas history," read the lawsuit, which was filed Friday in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas. According to the lawsuit, more than 19,000 barrels were spilled. ExxonMobil has said that between 3,500 and 5,000 barrels of heavy crude leaked from the ruptured pipeline. It has promised to cover cleanup costs. Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel opened an investigation into what caused a 2- or 3-inch gash in the underground Pegasus pipeline, which began spewing crude on March 29. The pipeline carries Canadian crude from Illinois to Texas.