Crew Escapes, Barges Break Free As Mississippi River Towboat Sinks
Nine crewmembers escaped from a towboat after it grounded in the Mississippi River near Cairo, Ill., and partially sank along the riverbank.
The 5,000-hp Eric Haney was pushing upriver with 15 empty hopper barges when it struck a dike on the right descending bank at about midnight on July 8 at mile marker 9.7. Its engine room flooded and crew escaped first to a barge, then to the American Commercial Barge Line towboat Safety Guide, which responded from Cairo.
The Coast Guard is investigating the accident but has not determined the cause. “The vessel did strike a dike and that is what caused the vessel to sink,” Coast Guard spokeswoman Alicia Preston said of Eric Haney. “What is under investigation is why it hit that.”
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