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At the time of the stoppage, oil had been leaking continuously into the Gulf of Mexico for 85 days, 16 hours and 25 minutes since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded on April 20, 2010. Until July 19, 2010, there was no evidence that the well had ruptured, meaning that the cap appeared to be working.
BP was already recovering from disaster when the Deepwater Horizon rig blew. Just five years prior, a hydrocarbon vapor cloud exploded at the company's Texas City refinery, killing 15 and injuring over 170. Explosions shook the Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010, and sunk the ultra-deepwater drilling rig off the shore of Louisiana. For the next three months, its uncapped well on the ocean floor spewed millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf, ruining fisheries, killing wildlife and soiling miles of coastline.