The oil company BP says it has temporarily stopped oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico from its leaking undersea well.
It is the first time the flow has stopped since an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20.
The company is now conducting a critical pressure test on the well. BP has warned that the latest development does not mean the flow has been stopped permanently. That will not happen until a relief well is completed next month.
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BP has managed to temporarily seal the well using a new cap that it manoeuvred in place in recent days. It has now closed all the valves on the wellhead.
For the next few days BP will monitor the pressure in the well to see if there are any leaks further down the pipeline.
If all is well the company will move to the next phase, collecting up to 60,000 barrels a day coming out of the well.
In the next few weeks BP expects to enter the final phase of this operation, which involves pumping heavy cement into the column and killing the wellhead for good.
