Crew rescued after towboat sinks on Mississippi River

Local officials made a water rescue early Sunday when a towing vessel sank on the Mississippi River near Cairo, Illinois.

According to a release from the United States Coast Guard, a rescue command of officials from the Coast Guard, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and Tennessee Valley Towing was formed after the accident.

The crew was evacuated safely from the vessel, the release stated.

According to the release, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Paducah, Kentucky, were notified about midnight of the towing vessel Eric Haney sinking at mile marker 9.7 on the Upper Mississippi River.

The release stated the vessel contained 79,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 1,600 gallons of lube oil.

Members from Paducah’s Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit went to the scene to assess the accident.

Oil-spill response organization SWS Environmental Services deployed a boom as a preventative measure to contain any spills, according to the release. There were no reports of pollution.

The cause of the accident is being investigated.

bmatthews@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3652

Pertinent address: Upper Mississippi River, Cairo, Illinois