Towboat sinks in the Mississippi

CHESTER, Ill. -- The Coast Guard said Thursday it was investigating what caused a towboat carrying 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel to sink in the Mississippi River near the southern Illinois city of Chester.

Two crew members of the Maverick were rescued by another towboat when the sinking happened about 12:30 a.m. Thursday three miles south of Chester, the Coast Guard said.

The Maverick's crew sustained no injuries but was examined at a hospital.

A Coast Guard unit from Paducah, Kentucky, was assigned to oversee the Maverick's recovery efforts, and pollution cleanup contractors were responding to the scene.

There was no immediate evidence that the fuel on the sunken vessel had leaked, the Coast Guard said.