Two people are dead after a helicopter crashed into a barge on the Mississippi River.
The chopper hit power lines and dropped onto a barge near Alton in St Charles County, Missouri, around 11.05am on Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Both people on board the helicopter died, said Alton Fire Department Deputy Chief Matthew Fischer.
The wreckage was confined to the barge, which did not have any leaks immediately after the incident, Fischer said.
Photos from the scene showed a thick gray plume of smoke rising from the large boat on fire.
One video shared on social media showed a huge fireball blast.
‘The helicopter was just working on these powerlines. The powerline blew up,’ said a person recording the footage, according The Mirror.
‘There was a pilot, there was a worker. ‘It’s exploding right now.’
The barge was stationed close to Maple Island, which is east of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam.
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