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Barge hits bridge in Texas, spills oil and shuts road

A barge crashed into a bridge on the Texas coast on Wednesday, forcing the closure of the only street to a small island off the city of Galveston, city officials stated.

No injuries were reported and the Pelican Island Bridge stayed standing after the barge, which Galveston County's. Office of Emergency Management said was owned by Martin. Petroleum, encountered it around 10 a.m.

. The Office of Emergency situation Management stated in a statement. that vacuum gas oil from the barge has been visually confirmed. in the water and that the barge's total capacity was 30,000. gallons. The quantity that has dripped was unknown.

Calls to a number listed for Martin Petroleum Corp were not. returned.

The Workplace of Emergency Management said that about 6.5. miles of the Intracoastal Waterway has actually been closed to water. traffic.

TV images revealed a part of a railway that runs alongside. the bridge, located about 60 miles southeast of Houston,. collapsed atop the barge.

The City of Galveston said in a composed declaration that the. U.S. Coast Guard is reacting and will identify the level of. the spill, in addition to start the containment and cleanup. processes.

An examination is underway, the declaration said. Officials. have not yet stated what might have caused the accident.

The Coast Guard did not respond to ask for details.

Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation were. en route to take a look at the bridge, which will remain closed until. it is deemed safe, the city said.

The collision comes in the middle of increased concerns in the U.S. about the vulnerability of bridges to large ships, after a freight. ship collided with Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in. March, killing 6 people and leading to the collapse of the. structure.

(source: Reuters)