国际英语新闻：BP to test whether ruptured well is dead

HOUSTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- British oil giant BP said Saturday the cement it pumped into the well in the Gulf of Mexico has set and the well would be declared dead if a pressure and weight test indicts no leaks.

The London-based company said in a statement that the cement-pumping, known as a "bottom kill," finished at 8:30 CDT Friday. The procedure involved filling the gap between the well casing and the rock formation that surrounds it with cement.

The cement it pumped into the broken well from the bottom had set, the company was quoted by U.S. media as saying on Saturday. The setting of the cement would mean that the well is finally plugged.

Photo taken on Sept. 4, 2010 and released on Sept. 5 show the damaged Blow Out Preventer (BOP) from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig being pull out by the Q4000 vessel in the Gulf of Mexico.

After conducting a pressure and weight test, officials will decide if the well is sealed for good. The results of the test were expected late Saturday but might not come until Sunday, according to U.S. media.

Confirmation that the well is permanently sealed will mark the official end of the saga that began on April 20, when an explosion on BP-leased Deepwater Horizon drilling rig killed 11 workers and unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history.