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Crews removed the cap from BP's ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well late Thursday afternoon, a company spokeswoman said.

The operation was the first step in removing the blowout preventer -- which failed spectacularly in April, triggering a deadly explosion and oil spill -- said BP spokeswoman Jessie Baker.

Officials plan to replace the blowout preventer with a new one, a major step toward a final fix. But the effort to permanently seal the ruptured oil well has stalled because of turbulent seas.

"We've run into a weather window that's got us in a hold," said retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's point man on the oil disaster. "If we can get to the blowout preventer sooner rather than later, we will do that."

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