Barge Hits Texas Bridge Causing Oil Spill: Everything We Know [Video]

Oil has spilled into the waters surrounding Pelican Island near Galveston, Texas, after a fuel barge hit a bridge leading to the island on Wednesday.

The barge hit the bridge at around 9:50 a.m. on Wednesday morning, The Associated Press reported, which caused a closure of the only road leading to the island. As of Wednesday afternoon, crews assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard, were reportedly working to clean up the spill off Galveston Bay.

Galveston County spokesperson Spencer Lewis told the AP that 6.5 miles of the waterway were shut down because of the spill.

According to an AP update Wednesday afternoon, the collision occurred when a tugboat backed out of Texas International Terminals, a fuel storage operator next to the bridge, and lost control of two fuel barges it was pushing.

“The current was very bad, and the tide was high. He lost it,” David Flores, a bridge …