BP says it has paid 104 million dollars in claims

NEW ORLEANS: BP said on Saturday that it had paid 104 million dollars to residents along the US Gulf Coast for claims filed as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The British energy giant has received 64,000 claims "to date," BP said in a statement Saturday.

On Thursday, a BP lawyer told a federal judge in New Orleans that the company had paid out 100 million dollars, after receiving 60,000 claims.

"Our focus has been on getting money into the hands of fishermen, shrimpers, condo owners and others who have not been able to earn income due to the spill," Darryl Willis, of the BP claims team, said in a company statement.

A 1,000-member claim team is working around the clock to receive and process claims. BP says there are 33 field offices set up in the Gulf states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The average time from filing a claim to the issuance of checks is four days for individuals and seven days for more complex business claims, BP said.

The oil giant has agreed to pay legitimate claims resulting from the worst oil spill in US history.