COVINGTON, Tenn. —Twenty-five vessels were backed up on the Mississippi River at midday, 13 hours after a chemical spill closed a stretch north of Memphis.
A barge collision at about 9 p.m. Monday spilled the chemical acrylonitrile. Three tugboat workers were hospitalized as a precaution and the river was closed at 10:22 p.m.
A Coast Guard spokeswoman said a lightering vessel that could offload the remaining acrylonitrile from the damaged barge was on the way and would arrive Tuesday evening.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry website, acrylonitrile is a man-made, colorless, liquid chemical with a sharp onion- or garlic-like odor. It can be dissolved in water and evaporates quickly.
The accident happened near the line between Tipton and Lauderdale counties on the Tennessee side and about eight miles south of Osceola on the Arkansas side.