Mississippi crash: Two dead after helicopter crashes into barge on river; FAA, NTSB to investigate

Smoke fills the air from a barge after a helicopter crash within the Mississippi River close to Alton, Ill (Image credit: AP)

Two individuals had been killed Thursday morning when a helicopter struck a powerline and crashed into a barge on the Mississippi River close to East Alton, Illinois, sparking a fireplace.A video shared by a witness on-line exhibits thick black plume of smoke rising from the barge shortly after influence.The crash occurred round 11 am, about half a mile downriver from the Alton Dam. “The helicopter ran into a powerline and crashed,” stated Rivers Pointe hearth district chief Rick Pender, as quoted by AP.Cp Dallas Thompson of the Missouri state freeway patrol confirmed that each victims had been contained in the helicopter. No one else was injured.The barge, which was unoccupied on the time of the crash, briefly caught hearth. Authorities say the hearth has since been extinguished.Following the crash, business river site visitors within the space was halted.Emergency crews, together with hearth, EMS, and regulation enforcement, responded swiftly to the scene. “Federal agencies are on the way,” Pender stated.The federal aviation administration and the nationwide transportation security board will lead the investigation into the reason for the crash.