Two dead after helicopter crashes into power lines before slamming into barge

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A helicopter crashed into a barge on the Mississippi River near East Alton, Illinois, on Thursday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed. Two people were aboard the aircraft when it came down on the Missouri side and have since been confirmed dead.

Witness video provided to KMOV-TV showed a black plume of smoke rising from the barge. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

East Alton is approximately 20 miles (32 kilometres) north of St. Louis.

More to follow