After five weeks of failing to plug a well spewing oil in the Gulf of Mexico, British oil giant BP has launched its latest attempt, pumping mud to try to smother the gusher -- the so-called "top kill" method.

The governor of the US state of Louisiana says more than 160km of the state's fragile coastland has already been affected by the millions of litres of oil that have gushed out in the last five weeks.

Al Jazeera's John Terrett reports from Venice, Louisiana. (May 27, 2010)