US officials say may take 90 days to plug oil leak

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - A senior Obama administration official said on Thursday it could take 90 days to install a relief valve to stop an oil leak that has caused a massive oil spill in the U.S. Gulf coast.

The Obama administration says 5,000 barrels a day may be leaking from a deep-sea oil well following a deadly rig explosion.

David Hayes, a senior Interior Department official, said he would not rule out a pause in new deepwater oil drilling until companies show they can control oil spills.

(Reporting by Ross Colvin, editing by Steve Holland)