BP expands Gulf victims list

BP will compensatevictims of the Gulf ofMexico oil spilleven if they don't live on the coastline soiled bymillions of litres of oil.

LawyerKenneth Feinberg, who is overseeing the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, has faced complaints from angry residents and business owners that payouts from the $20-billion US fund are coming too slowlyand are notgenerous enough, while someclaims that should be paid are being denied.

As of late September, payouts tallied almost $350 million US.

Feinberg saysthe process is fluid andhe understands the concerns.

On Monday, he announced a more lenient program that would not rule out claims simply because claimants are not located on the coast.

The April 20 rig explosion killed 11 workers and spewed more than 750 million litres of oil from BP PLC's underwater well.