Crews are working to raise a barge after it sank in the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland’s Flats overnight.
The barge was reported floating in the river at about 2:30 a.m. Thursday. When the sun came up, workers began trying to raise the barge out of the water, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
At about 10 p.m. Thursday, the barge was out of the water and resting in the mud on the riverbank. It didn’t take long before it slid back into the Cuyahoga River. Two tow trucks are being used to remove it.
Officials at the scene said the barge is 36 feet long and 18 feet wide. It’s only 8 feet tall. The barge was being used for repairs on the nearby lift bridge that connects Ohio City to the Flats.
The St. Ignatius High School rowing team was actually practicing on the river and did not know they were close to the sunken barge.
“Occasionally, the barge would pop up in the middle of the river. So the Coast Guard came by and warned us that this barge just might pop up from under the river and if we were above it, that would be really bad,” said St. Ignatius rowing coach Pat Conner. “We had to stop all rowing activity, but we didn’t know that.”
The barge was not blocking any traffic on the river. What caused it to sink is under investigation.
article courtesy of Newsnet5.com
