A barge crashed into a Texas bridge, leading to its partial collapse and an oil spill.
The large barge smashed into the only bridge connecting Galveston, Texas, with Pelican Island, which houses a university. Galveston County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Ray Nolen said one person on the barge had been knocked overboard but was quickly recovered. The segment of the bridge that partially collapsed was an unused railroad bridge that runs alongside the motorway.
According to the Associated Press, David Flores, a bridge superintendent with the Galveston County Navigation District, said the crash occurred when a tugboat lost control of two barges it was pushing.
“The current was very bad, and the tide was high. He lost it,” he said.
The barges were fuel barges for ships, and the crash resulted in an oil spill. Flores said 6.5 miles of the waterway were shut down to contain the spill and cleanup crews are at work.
The bridge was closed as a precaution, though it isn’t known if the key roadway was actually damaged.
“Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation are also enroute to inspect the roadway and determine if there is damage,” a statement on the City of Galveston government’s Facebook page read. “The bridge will remain closed until it is deemed safe to use.”
Another post from Galveston County listed several organizations responding to the crash, including the Coast Guard and the Texas Department of Transportation.
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It also confirmed there were no injuries in relation to the incident.
The crash occurred just months after a large cargo ship crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, collapsing it and killing six construction workers in the process.
