Three coal barges sank in the Ohio River near Louisville Wednesday after they broke loose from their tugboat when one hit a bridge.
According to a news release from the Coast Guard, the tug was pushing 15 loaded barges when one struck the Clark Memorial Bridge around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Six barges were recovered but the others floated downstream and were pinned against a dam. Three have capsized.
The Coast Guard and others including the Army Corps of Engineers are working around the clock to recover the remaining barges, including those that have sunk.
Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Michael Metz said the agency has contacted the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection and the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission since the barges were loaded with coal.