Louisiana governor calls for military help over oil spill

Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal has called for the government to help find the deployment of 6,000 National Guard troops to deal with the massive cleanup operation.

An oil slick, caused by the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig last week, is expected to reach the state's shores within the next 24 hours, the Telegraph reports.

Local resident Bobby Jindal, whose family has harvested oysters in the area for three generations, told the publication that he can already smell the fuel.

US president Barack Obama has vowed to use "every available resource" to help with the cleanup operation.

The oil well is currently leaking 5,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico and there are concerns that the incident could turn into one of the world's worst ever ecological disasters.

Part of the slick was set on fire yesterday (April 29th) in a bid to limit the damage and burn off some of the fuel.

Written by Lauren Steadman