Emergency responders from Missouri and Illinois converged late Thursday morning on an area of the river near Maple Island, just east of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, a Hughes 369D helicopter struck transmission lines over the river and crashed into the barge. The barge then caught fire.
Two people on the helicopter died. No immediate injuries were reported on the barge.
All river traffic was shut down as the transmission line fell into the water.
According to a spokesperson for the utility company Ameren, contractors were repairing and replacing tower lighting and marker balls on the transmission lines.
The high-visibility balls on the lines are meant to act as safety devices by keeping the lines afloat if they were to come down, and to protect migrating birds like bald eagles, which may not be able to see the wires but can more easily steer clear of the balls.
The National Transportation Safety Board supervises all civilian aircraft accidents.
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