2 tugboats collide, sinking 1 in Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee

Watchstanders with Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River command center received a notification of a collision between the towing vessels Margaret Ann and the William Strait at mile marker 727 on the Lower Mississippi River. Two tugboats crashed in the Mississippi River just south of the Interstate 55 bridge. The Coast Guard launched a 25-foot support boat to help marine investigators and inspectors working the crash. A Coast Guard 25-foot small boat crew from the Sector Lower Mississippi River along with an HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing aircraft from Aviation Training Center Mobile, Alabama and local pollution response agencies are on scene responding. There are no reported injuries but the Coast Guard is staying on the scene for safety until the scene clears.