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Federal officials responsible for inspecting and licensing offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico accepted lavish trips from offshore oil companies, according to an official federal report released Tuesday.

Offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico have evacuated a number of rigs and platforms in response to Tropical Storm Barry. The storm entered the Gulf of Mexico on 10 July, making landfall in Louisiana as a Category 1 hurricane on 13 July.

A massive crude-oil slick from an exploded rig in the Gulf of Mexico inched closer to the mouth of the Mississippi river late on Thursday as the government marshalled resources to protect fragile wetlands.