Undersea oil from BP well confirmed

US experts investigating reports of undersea oil plums coming from BP's well in the Gulf of Mexico have confirmed low levels of oil below the surface.

"NOAA is confirming the presence of very low concentrations of subsurface oil," Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said.

It was the first government confirmation of undersea oil near BP's blown-out well a mile beneath the ocean.

BP officials had previously denied the existence of oil under the surface.

But Lubchenco said: "The bottom line is yes, there is oil in the water column."

At the moment, NOAA is trying to 'fingerprint' the oil to confirm that it came from BP's well.