BP buys results for oil spill search terms

VENICE, La., June 9 (UPI) -- BP, under fire for the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, bought the top Google and Yahoo! search results for terms such as "oil spill," a BP official said.

A search for the term "oil spill" Tuesday night brought up a link to the BP corporate Web site with a line, "Learn more about how BP is helping," The (London) Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.

BP spokesman Toby Odone said the company is buying the search results to make information about the leak more accessible, the newspaper reported.

The Transocean Deepwater Horizon rig, which BP leased, exploded April 20, killing 11 works, then sank two days later. Oil has been leaking into the gulf since.

"We have bought search terms on search engines like Google to make it easier for people to find out more about our efforts in the Gulf and make it easier for people to find key links to information on filing claims, reporting oil on the beach and signing up to volunteer," Odone said.