HOUSTON (Reuters) - BP Plc's delayed a critical first step toward killing its Gulf of Mexico oil leak to clean out debris and sediment at the bottom of a relief well, the top official overseeing the spill response said on Friday.
"They found some debris that had settled in on itself" while the well was plugged in advance of Tropical Storm Bonnie, Retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen told reporters at a briefing. Once cleaned out, BP can finish cementing the pipe into the relief well and move forward with a "static kill" next week, he said.
(Reporting by Kristen Hays. editing by Anthony Boadle)
