Gulf oil spill could reach shore Thursday night

The leading edge of a massive oil spill that's become far worse than initially thought in the Gulf of Mexico was expected to reach the Louisiana shore by Thursday night. Government officials, the oil company and others rushed to try to protect the fragile marshlands from an ecological disaster.

As of late Thursday morning, part of the slick was about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from the Mississippi River delta, said National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration spokesman Charles Henry said.

A blown-out well a mile (1.6 kilometers) underwater is leaking in three places, spewing 5,000 barrels a day into the gulf _ five times more than originally thought.

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