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DOW JONES NEWSWIRES BP PLC (BP) said the rate it captured oil from a broken well in the Gulf of Mexico dropped Thursday morning, as swells and lightning as Hurricane Alex passed by the area. The oil giant said it retrieved 11,485 barrels of oil during the first 12 hours of Thursday, 7,400 barrels of which was collected and 4,085 barrels of which was flared. That total is down 10.6% from BP's previous half-day total of 12,845 barrels. A team of scientists has estimated that about 35,000 to 60,000 barrels are flowing from the broken well every day. The U.K. oil giant has been under intense pressure to successfully contain the spewing oil, which began in April when a deepwater drilling rig exploded and sank. The drilling of relief wells is due to be completed in August, at which point the company would pump heavy drilling fluids into the existing well to restrict the oil flow, allowing it to be plugged with cement. -By Joan E. Solsman, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2291; joan.solsman@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 01, 2010 23:21 ET (03:21 GMT)