Tugboat collides with railroad bridge in Louisiana

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to an incident in which a tugboat pushing a barge collided with a railroad bridge in Melville, Louisiana, causing significant damage to the vessel, according to officials and local media.

The U.S. Coast Guard Heartland said on Monday evening that the incident involved a barge striking the Melville Bridge, located along the Atchafalaya River in St. Landry Parish. Personnel from Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge are on scene. No injuries have been reported.

Officials told KADN that the tugboat was moving a set of barges down the river when it struck the railroad trestle, resulting in significant damage to the barge. The full extent of the damage to the bridge has not yet been detailed.

Melville is situated in south-central Louisiana, northwest of Baton Rouge and northeast of Lafayette. The Atchafalaya River, a major commercial waterway that flows into the Gulf of America—also known as the Gulf of Mexico—is frequently used for shipping and the transport of industrial goods.

The Coast Guard has not yet released information about the cause of the allision or whether traffic on the waterway has been restricted.