Two individuals had been killed Thursday morning when a helicopter struck a powerline and crashed right 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 right into a powerline and crashed,” stated Rivers Pointe fireplace 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. Nobody else was injured.The barge, which was unoccupied on the time of the crash, briefly caught fireplace. Authorities say the hearth has since been extinguished.Following the crash, business river site visitors within the space was halted.Emergency crews, together with fireplace, EMS, and legislation enforcement, responded swiftly to the scene. “Federal businesses are on the way in which,” Pender stated.The federal aviation administration and the nationwide transportation security board will lead the investigation into the reason for the crash.
