1 Killed, 2 Missing in Fireworks Barge Blast

A barge loaded with fireworks exploded during an Independence Day display on the Mississippi River near Alton, Ill., killing one person on the barge, injuring a second and knocking two people into the river, the Coast Guard said. As firefighters extinguished flames on the barge, Coast Guard boats, aided by searchlights on the Alton Belle casino, searched for the two missing people. Witnesses said the fireworks show had been going on for 10 or 15 minutes when the barge lit up in a big white glow. The injured man told doctors at St. Anthony’s Hospital that the blast “blew him about 10 to 15 feet away, and he made his way to a ledge on the boat and was rescued,” said hospital spokeswoman Diane Schuette.