BP says the blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from spewing into the Gulf of Mexico has been removed from the company's well.

A BP spokesman said Friday in an e-mail to The Associated Press that the 50-foot, 300-ton device was detached from the wellhead at 1:20 p.m CDT.

The device was slowly being lifted to the surface and wouldn't likely reach the top until sometime Saturday.

Earlier in the day, a vessel had latched onto the equipment to raise it from a mile beneath the sea.

The blowout preventer is considered a key piece of evidence in the spill investigation. Investigators will examine it and hope to gain insight into why the device failed to prevent the spill.