Southeast Missourian

A coal barge struck the U.S. 62/60 bridge between Cairo, Ill., and Birds Point, Mo., Thursday afternoon, closing the bridge to traffic while safety inspectors checked for structural damage, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.

The bridge over the Mississippi River was closed for about two hours while the inspectors checked bridge piers for damage.

The exact cause of the accident was not known Thursday evening, said Petty Officer Wade Bortle of the Coast Guard office in Louisville, Ky. "We do know that the current is running pretty fast in that area," he said.

Bortle did not have the name of the towing company that was transporting the coal barge.