B.O.P. Recovered

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - Engineers have hoisted a key piece of evidence in the BP oil spill to the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, and investigators will soon get their first chance to
scrutinize the equipment in person.

Investigators hope they will be able to determine why the device didn't stop the oil that leaked into the Gulf.

Engineers on Saturday used a crane attached to a semi-submersible drilling vessel to lift the 50-foot, 300-ton blowout preventer from a mile beneath the sea to the surface.

It took nearly 30 hours to raise the blowout preventer.

A U.S. government evidence team is waiting to take possession of it.

The April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon killed 11 workers and led to 206 million gallons of oil spewing from BP PLC's undersea well.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)