Two people working on powerlines near the Mississippi River died Thursday when their helicopter hit the lines, crashed into a barge and sparked a fire that belched plumes of black smoke, officials said.
The helicopter crew was near East Alton, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of St. Louis, when it careened into the barge on the Missouri side of the river. Authorities said no other injuries were reported.
Adam Briggs was on the opposite shore when it all happened and filmed the crash scene.
“The helicopter was just working on these power lines, it hit the power line, blew up,” he said in the video as flames flashed through the rolling smoke. “There was a pilot, there was a worker, the helicopter blew up and fell and crashed in that barge and it’s exploding right now.”
“They're dead. They have to be dead,” said Briggs in shock.
A spokesperson for the power company Ameren said a contractor and its subcontractor had been repairing and replacing tower lighting and marker balls on lines.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the victims’ families and colleagues,” Ameren said in a statement, adding that and they will cooperate with the investigation.
The collision brought an immediate response from about a dozen agencies in Illinois and Missouri, said Kyle Gaines, a spokesperson for the St. Charles County Ambulance District.
The nearby fire department rushed by boat to the crash site and a private tug boat helped to douse the flames, said Alton Deputy Fire Chief Matt Fischer.
No one was on the barge when the helicopter smashed into it and the fire has been extinguished, the state patrol said. The river has been closed to commercial traffic.
The helicopter crashed around 11 a.m. Thursday on the Mississippi River about half a mile (800 meters) downriver from the Melvin Price Lock and Dam, said Rivers Pointe Fire District Chief Rick Pender.
Pender said federal agencies were on the way. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. The NTSB said an investigator was expected to arrive on site Friday. The helicopter, the agency said, was an MD 369, which are typically smaller.
In 2018, a helicopter crew stringing new powerlines crashed in Pennsylvania, killing two people and injuring the pilot.
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Associated Press reporters Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; Beatrice Dupuy in New York City; and Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed.
Jesse Bedayn, The Associated Press
