Part of the Mississippi River Closed as Barges Hit Bridge

The Mississippi River is closed to navigation at Vicksburg, Mississippi, after a 30-barge tow struck a railroad bridge between the city and Louisiana as rain-swollen rivers are spilling over banks across the South.

Bridge superintendent Herman Smith tells The Vicksburg Post the MV Chad Tregrache, operated by Marquette Transportation of Paducah, Kentucky, struck the bridge just after 7 a.m. Wednesday.

U.S. Coast Guard officials say two grain barges sank, but no injuries were reported. Coast Guard officials are on site investigating.

The railroad bridge, owned by a local government commission and operated by the Kansas City Southern Railway, is also closed.

Tows frequently strike the bridge, especially when the Mississippi River is high. River levels at Vicksburg are rising and are predicted to crest later this month at one of the 10 highest levels on record.