BP Releases Video of Failed Containment Dome on Seabed - Gives sense of scale

A second video has been released today giving us more of an indication of the size of oil well leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

The video shows a failed attempt on the weekend to lower a 100-ton, 4-storey dome (refered to a "cofferdam") on top of the main leak. As they lower the dome on to the leak you can see the oil pushing out on the side which gives a better sense of the volume of oil pumping into the Gulf of Mexico:

The first video released today the BP oil pipe leak at its source 5,000 feet down on the ocean floor:

This follows on criticism earlier today from ABC News that BP was refusing to share underwater spill footage.

Late last week a video of the smallest of the three leaks was released by the US Coast Guard - you can see the column of oil pumping into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico starting at about the 2 min. 15 sec. mark:

There are three ruptures in the oil pipeline that lies 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. The ruptures were caused by the explosion and collapse of BP's Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig more than two weeks ago.

While one of the three leaks has been stopped, the leak continues to pump an estimated 5,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico everyday threatening fragile wildlife refuges and major commercial and recreational fishing industries.