A barge carrying fertilizer in the Danube River crashed into a bridge and sank.
The barge pulled by a German cargo ship sailing on the Danube River crashed into the bridge connecting Serbia and Croatia and sank with approximately 1 kiloton of fertilizer on it.
The barge pulled by a German-origin cargo ship moving from Austria to Serbia hit the foot of the bridge between the Croatian cities of Uyluk (Ilok) and Serbia’s Backa Palanka on the Danube River at around 01.55 local time. Due to the impact of the impact, the barge towed by the ship named Antonia fell into the waters with approximately 1 kiloton of nitrogenous fertilizer on it. It was reported that no one among the ship’s 6-person crew was injured and the other barge the ship was towing was not damaged.
While Croatian authorities closed the bridge and border crossing point to traffic, experts launched an investigation into the damage caused by the accident to the bridge. Serbian authorities announced that the ship involved in the accident was anchored and this part of the river was closed to ship traffic.
Uyluk Mayor Marina Budimir stated in her statement that there was no information about how the sinking barge took in water. Budimir said that they believe the bridge is solid, there is no damage visible to the naked eye, but experts should wait for their examination. Emphasizing that the bridge will not be opened to traffic until the inspections are completed, Budimir said, “Our police are doing their best to ensure that traffic continues without disruption and there is no jam.”
Experts are concerned about the negative effects the sinking barge will have on the flora and fauna of the Danube River.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
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