31 riverboat passengers injured in barge accident

April 5, 1998
Web posted at: 1:39 p.m. EDT (1739 GMT)

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (CNN) -- About 31 people were injured, one critically, when three runaway barges rammed into a floating casino on the Mississippi River, the U.S. Coast Guard said Sunday.

The incident occurred when a towboat tugging 14 barges crashed into a bridge near the St. Louis Arch, breaking its barge string loose.

That set off a chain reaction: Three of the renegade barges ran into "The President on the Admiral," a docked riverboat casino, setting it adrift, officials said.

The riverboat, which doesn't have a motor, floated downstream for about 500 feet before the towboat caught up with it and pinned it against the river bank. However the casino had swung 180 degrees so that its entrances were facing the river instead of the shore. Passengers were finally evacuated on excursion boats.

Of the 31 persons injured, 16 were transported to area hospitals, two complaining of chest pains. One patient's condition remains critical.

Officials said 13 of the barges were secured; one sank.

"The President on the Admiral," built as an entertainment vessel, has been moored along the St. Louis riverfront for decades. It was closed during the 1980s but reopened as a gambling vessel in early 1990s.

Related stories:

• Barge accident sends riverboat casino adrift - April 5, 1998
• Mississippi tugboats stop rolling on the river - April 4, 1998
• Storm temporarily sets riverboat casino adrift in Mississippi - Feb. 11, 1998
• Portion of Mississippi reopened to marine traffic - Feb. 2, 1998

Related sites:

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• President Casino -- official site
• River Chat Room

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