The US Coast Guard says, Oil has started washing ashore on the US Gulf Coast from a leaking offshore well. Up to 5,000 barrels of oil a day are thought to be spilling into the water after last week's explosion on a BP-operated rig, which sank. Reports say, oil has reached an island near the Mississippi gulf. A state of emergency has been declared in Louisiana and President Barack Obama has pledged all available resources to help. The US navy has been deployed to help avert a looming environmental disaster. <br/>