US report slams BP for 'avoidable' oil spill

An official report from the US on BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill in April has described it as 'avoidable'.

The presidential commission's 48-page report says the failures that led to the spill were "systemic" and could recur without industry reform. It says the companies involved in the Gulf of Mexico spill in April had made decisions to cut costs and save time, which contributed to the disaster. "Notwithstanding [the inherent risks of deepwater drilling], the accident of April 20 was avoidable. It resulted from clear mistakes made in the first instance by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean," the report states. "It is now clear that both industry and government need to reassess and change b...