EAST ALTON, Ill. (AP) — A helicopter flying over the Mississippi River ran into a powerline Thursday, then crashed into a barge and sparked a fire, killing two people, officials said.

The two dead were flying in the helicopter and there were no other reported injuries in the crash near East Alton, Illinois, said Cpl. Dallas Thompson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. East Alton is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of St. Louis.

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The state patrol said no one was on the barge when the crash happened, and the fire has been extinguished. The river has been closed to commercial traffic.

WATCH: First Responders confirmed to First Alert 4 that a helicopter crashed onto a barge and caught fire around 11 a.m.

Read the live updates here: https://t.co/7EBhJzsVtL pic.tw

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