The US government has begun criminal and civil investigations¹ into the Gulf² of Mexico oil spill, Attorney General Eric Holder³ has announced.

美国司法部长埃里克·霍尔德宣布，美国政府已经着手对墨西哥湾原油泄露事件展开犯罪、民事调查。

Workers are attempting to clean up oil from Louisiana's vulnerable marshland

He would not say which companies or individuals were being targeted.

Earlier, BP launched a new attempt to try to contain the spill（溢出，溅出） from its well using undersea robots to cut off the fractured（断裂的，挫伤的） pipe and seal it with a cap.

BP said the spill - the largest in US history - might be capped within 24 hours, but success was not guaranteed.

BP's shares fell sharply on Tuesday following the failure of its previous efforts to "top kill" the leak by pumping mud into the well.

At one stage the share price hit its lowest level for 15 months, as stock markets digested the news that the US was "prepared for the worst scenario⁴" that the leak might not be stopped before August.

'Forceful response'

Announcing the criminal investigations, Mr Holder said: "We will closely examine the actions of those involved in the spill.

"If we find evidence of illegal behaviour, we will be extremely forceful in our response."

Mr Holder, who was on his first visit to the affected⁵ region, said the companies involved had already been ordered to preserve their records.

"We will ensure that every cent, every cent of taxpayer⁶ money, will be repaid and that damage to the environment and wildlife will be reimbursed," he said.

Reuters news agency quoted BP as saying in a statement that it would "co-operate with any inquiry⁷ that the Department of Justice undertakes（承担，保证） ".

Speaking in Washington on Tuesday, President Barack Obama described the leak as "the greatest environmental disaster of its kind in our history" and pledged to bring those responsible to justice.

He said it was time to take a comprehensive look at how the oil industry operated and how US government agencies oversaw⁸ their operations.

Other companies involved with the Deepwater Horizon rig, which exploded on 20 April with the loss of 11 lives, include rig operator Transocean and oil services companies Halliburton and Cameron International.