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.
No other injuries were reported 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. The crash happened on the Missouri side of the river.
"The helicopter was just working on these power lines, it hit the power line, blew up," said witness Adam Briggs in a video he captured of the crash scene. "There was a pilot, there was a worker, the helicopter blew up and fell and crashed the barge and it's exploding right now."
A spokesperson for the power company Ameren said they had