Remembering the BP spill that killed 11, devastated the coast 15 years ago

(InvestigateTV) — On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and then sank in the Gulf about 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana.

It would later be recognized as the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

It took 87 days to cap the BP-operated well, during which time millions of barrels of crude poured into the Gulf and coated miles of Louisiana’s coast.

Among the hardest-hit areas was Cat Island, a string of small land masses about 30 miles south of Baton Rouge.

Once a vital nesting ground for birds, including Louisiana’s state bird, the brown pelican, the island chain has now all but disappeared beneath the waves.

Reporter John Snell takes an in-depth look at the impact of the spill and the solutions that helped revitalize the Gulf Coast.

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