Two people are dead after a helicopter crashed into a barge on the Mississippi River near Alton on Thursday.

Federal aviation officials say the crash happened shortly after 11 a.m. The helicopter was carrying workers who were doing maintenance work on power lines, said Cpl. Dallas Thompson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. No other injuries were reported.

Thompson said the lightweight utility helicopter hit a line and crashed into the barge on the Missouri side of the river. The crash caused a fire atop the barge, which firefighters quickly extinguished.

Video taken of the location immediately after the crash shows billowing black smoke and a fireball emerging from the crash site near the Melvin Price Lock and Dam.

Ameren confirmed that a contractor and subcontractor were repairing

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