BP said in a press release Monday that it already paid $1.6 billion for April's major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that led to an environmental disaster. The sum includes dealing with the consequences of the oil spill, work to seal the oil well, and various kinds of payments, including on damages claims. An explosion ripped through the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig, about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast, on April 20, causing a major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil continues to gush from the broken well into the sea despite weeks of work and millions of dollars spent to stop the leak. U.S. President Barack Obama has sharply criticized BP, urging the company to contain the spill as soon as possible and expedite work to stop oil gushing. Initially BP underestimated the environmental damage it caused. BP CEO Tony Hayward even said his company would restore the Gulf of Mexico coastline "to its original state." Hayward once apologized for the disaster - the worst oil spill in U.S. history that claimed 11 lives - but told journalists a controversial phrase "I'd like my life back."