MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th March, 2023) A barge carrying 1.400 tonnes of methanol, a toxic substance, partially submerged in Louisville, Kentucky, due to a navigational incident, the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet said.
"Emergency Response Team (ERT) at a barge incident on the Ohio River in Lville. 10 of 11 barges are loose from the tug. One carrying 1400 tons of methanol partially submerged at McAlpine Dam," the agency said on Twitter.
The Louisville administration noted that the incident occurred when a vessel towing 11 barges made contact with a stationary structure at the entrance to the Portland Canal near the McAlpine Lock and Dam.
"As a result, 10 of the 11 barges broke loose ... The cargoes carried aboard the barges are soy, corn, and one vessel with three independent cargo holds containing approximately 1,400 metric tons of Methanol," the administration said in a statement.
Currently, there is no threat of water contamination, the statement noted, adding that the authorities deployed air and water monitoring resources.
This is not the first incident involving toxic substances in the United States this year. In March, the media reported that a freight train carrying hazardous substances derailed near the town of Topock in Mohave County, the US state of Arizona. Another railroad incident took place on February 3, when a train hauling 20 cars from Norfolk Southern with hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. A big fire erupted due to the derailment, leading to officials burning vinyl chloride inside five of the tanker cars to avoid a catastrophic explosion. The accident released toxic chemicals, including hydrogen chloride, phosgene, butyl acrylate, and ethylene, into the environment.
