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texas - Charon - 05-15-2024
Barge hits bridge connecting Galveston and Pelican Island, causing partial collapse and oil spill
A barge hit a bridge in Galveston, Texas, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a small island. Officials did not have any immediate information on damage to the bridge or if there were any injuries.
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BY JUAN LOZANO AND LEKAN OYEKANMI
Updated 4:16 PM EDT, May 15, 2024
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GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, although officials said one person on the barge was knocked into the water and quickly rescued.
The bridge that leads to Pelican Island, north of Galveston, was struck by the barge around 9:50 a.m. when a tugboat backing out of Texas International Terminals, a fuel storage operator next to the bridge, lost control of two barges it was pushing, said David Flores, a bridge superintendent with the Galveston County Navigation District.
“The current was very bad, and the tide was high. He lost it,” Flores said.
One of the barges hit the bridge and two telephone poles, he said.
The accident came weeks after a cargo ship crashed into a support column of the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26, killing six construction workers.
The accident Wednesday knocked one man off the vessel and into the water, but he was quickly recovered and was not injured, said Galveston County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Ray Nolen.
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