On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the oil platform Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. There were 11 fatalities. During firefighting efforts, the platform sank, breaking the drill pipe. For almost 3 months, 800 million liters of oil flowed into the sea through a non-functioning blowout preventer. After many unsuccessful attempts, BP finally managed to stop the oil flow on July 15, 2010. The seawater and coastal area have been heavily polluted for decades. Many (endangered) animals are dying.