WASHINGTON, July 2 (Reuters) - BP Plc has reached asettlement with U.S. authorities and will pay about $18.7billion in damages for water pollution caused by the 2010 Gulfof Mexico oil spill, the U.S. Department of Justice said onThursday.
The agreement settles claims against BP by the U.S. federalgovernment and the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama,Texas and Florida.
It is the largest settlement with a single entity in U.S.history, the department said.
The April 20, 2010, rig explosion and spill killed 11workers and spewed oil for nearly three months onto theshorelines of several states.
(Reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Emily Stephenson)