Barge collides with Texas bridge pouring oil into river

Officials say a barge hit a bridge in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday 15 May, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a small island.

The bridge that leads to Pelican Island, located just north of Galveston, was hit by a barge around 9:30am.

Ronnie Varela, with the Galveston’s Office of Emergency Management, confirmed the incident but did not have any immediate information on damage to the bridge or if there were any injuries.

Aerial video showed portions of a rail line that runs parallel to the bridge on top of the barge.

The rail line is no longer in service.