Two barges carrying coal sink after striking U.S. 80 bridge over Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Mississippi

VICKSBURG, Miss. —  Two barges sunk in the Mississippi River after hitting a bridge near Vicksburg. After hitting the bridge, the barges reportedly broke free, and that’s when two of the barges sunk. The U.S. 80 bridge is only used by trains and was forced to shutdown pending a structural evaluation. According to WAPT, twenty-two barges carrying coal were being towed down the river when it struck the U.S. 80 bridge just before 9 a.m. Officials were also concerned the barges hit the Interstate 20 bridge, but video from the scene revealed that was not the case.