Mississippi River traffic to resume

OSCEOLA — Traffic on the Mississippi River is expected to reopen this afternoon after workers transfer cargo from two barges that collided Monday.

The collision occurred at 9 p.m. Monday at river mile marker 775.5, about eight miles south of Osceola.

Elizabeth Bordelon, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard in New Orleans, said the Merrick Jones, a 128-foot towing vessel pushing 26 barges, collided with the Dixie Express, an 87-foot barge pushing two barges of acrylonitrile.

Acrylonitrile - which is used in plastics, surface coatings and adhesives - spilledinto the river when one of the barges leaked.

Three crew members of the Dixie Express were picked up by the Henry Soudelier, another towing vessel, and taken to a Memphis hospital for treatment. One crew member was released Monday night. The other two were kept overnight for observation, Bordelon said.

The barge leak was repaired Tuesday, Bordelon said.

Officials closed the Mississippi River from mile marker 776 to 769 to commercial and recreational traffic Monday evening after the accident.

Bordelon said about 25 boats were stopped on the river Tuesday afternoon, waiting for it to reopen.