A barge which hit a bridge in Texas has caused an oil spill and the closure of the only road to a small island.
The bridge which connects Galveston Island to Pelican Island was struck at 10am (CDT) this morning.
Ronnie Varela, of the Galveston’s Office of Emergency Management said that crews were working to clean up the oil spill.
Images show a railway severely damaged while a large part of the bridge has fallen off.
The bridge which connects Galveston Island to Pelican Island was struck at 10am (CDT) this morning
Reuters
In a statement, Texas A&M University at Galveston said: "The Pelican Island Bridge is closed to all traffic at this time due to a barge strike. Electricity has been restored and additional updates will be provided as the situation unfolds."
According to Galveston County OEM, the barge which collided with the bridge is owned by Martin Petroleum.
A spokesperson said that power was temporarily interrupted to Pelican Island, but secondary power has been restored.
They added: "Vacuum gas oil from the barge has been visually confirmed in the water, causing a closing of the Intracoastal Waterway from Mile Marker 350.5 to Mile Marker 357, approximately 6.5 miles.
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"The capacity of the barge is 30,000 gallons and the amount that has leaked out is unknown."
While the bridge is currently inaccessible by vehicle, Galveston County Judge Mark Henry said the people stranded on the island will be removed by boat.
Galveston officials say there were no reports of injuries.
However, Henry confirmed that two crew members did go overboard but were recovered from the water.
A barge which hit a bridge in Texas has caused an oil spill and the closure of the only road to a small islandXOfficials have not yet said what may have caused the accident.
Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation are set to examine the bridge.
The collision comes amid heightened concerns in the US about the vulnerability of bridges and large ships, after a cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, killing six people and leading to the collapse of the structure.
