TOWBOAT SINKS IN OHIO RIVER

PADUCAH, Ky. -- The towboat, Eddie Touchette, sank in the Ohio River near Golconda, Ill., early Friday.

The towboat, with two off-loaded asphalt barges, struck a submerged lock wall from old Lock 51 and started sinking about 5:20 a.m.

The towboat came to rest on the submerged lock wall and is barely visible.

The incident was reported by the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office at Paducah, Ky., about 8 a.m. Friday.

All crew members escaped unharmed. The crew donned life vests and boarded the off-loaded barges, which did not sink.

The towboat is owned by American Commercial Barge Line Co. headquartered at Jeffersonville, Ind.

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating and monitoring the scene. The towboat had not been removed late Friday.