Two barges struck the old Mississippi River Bridge Thursday afternoon.

According to Herman Smith of the Vicksburg Bridge Commission of Warren County, a boat pushing 22 barges struck the bridge at about 2:54 p.m.

Two of the barges, which contained grain, became stuck on Pier 4, where the American flag is located. One eventually became loose and floated farther south. The other barge stayed put until it sank about 40 minutes after the initial collision.

After reviewing video footage of the incident, it was determined that nothing collided with the I-20 bridge directly south, meaning the I-20 bridge will not need to be shut down.

Boats from Ergon Marine were on hand to “catch” the barges, which drifted southward following the collision.

Smith said the sunken barge will likely have to be removed.

“More than likely, that barge will have to be removed because it’s sitting on the face of that pier and it’ll cause turbulence around the water and can wash out from around the base of the pier,” he said. “We can’t have that.”

The removal process will have to wait until the river levels drop.

The cause of the collision has yet to be verified, but Smith said that early reports point to a mechanical failure in which the tug boat operator lost steering.

The boat piloting the barges is operated by American Commercial Barge Line.