Two people died when a helicopter crashed into a barge in the Mississippi River near East Alton, Illinois, north of St. Louis, on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The crash happened at about 11 a.m. about a mile and a half south of the Clark Bridge, said Missouri Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Dallas Thompson.

A helicopter flying over the Mississippi River ran into a powerline then crashed into a barge and sparked a fire, killing two people. Cpl.