Officials say 26 barges carrying mostly dry cargo broke loose from a Pittsburgh marina late Friday night and drifted out of control down the Ohio River, causing extensive damage to nearby piers.
All barges that separated from the vessel at the first mile marker were accounted for, but caused significant damage to Peggy's Marina. A U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman said 23 of the barges were loaded with nonhazardous dry cargo, including coal, and three were empty.
Eleven barges were found near the riverbank on Bruno Island and are being held in tugboats, according to a news release from the city of Pittsburgh. Nine barges were parked at Emsworth Dam, and of the remaining six that were able to bypass the dam, five have been found and one is believed to have sunk.
Pittsburgh's McKees Rock Bridge and West End Bridge have both reopened after officials previously said they were closed “out of an abundance of caution.”
Campbell Transportation Company, which owns and operates the barge, provided the following statement to local station KDKA:
“Campbell Transportation Company, Inc. is proactively responding to recent developments regarding multiple barge breakaways in Pittsburgh. Our immediate priorities are to ensure public safety and and to minimize the impact on the environment,” it said in a statement. “The incident occurred during high river conditions and flooding in the area created strong currents.”