Xinhua News Agency, Houston, May 15 (Reporter Xu Jianmei) The municipal authority of Galveston, an island city in eastern Texas, said on the 15th that a barge hit a local bridge that day, causing fuel leakage and damage to the bridge.

The bridge was the only land route leading to Pelican Island in the north of Galveston. David Flores, director of bridge affairs in Galveston County navigation area, said that because of the high water, a tug sailing out of Texas International Port lost control of two refueling barges driven by it, and one of the barges hit the bridge column.

Aerial photos show that the impacted bridge column partially collapsed, and broken large pieces of concrete and rail fragments hung on one side of the bridge and fell onto the barge.

After the accident, the bridge opened in 1960 was closed. Galveston municipal authority said in a statement that there were no reports of injuries. The accident led to a fuel leak in the Gulf of Mexico. The US Coast Guard will determine the extent of the leak and start the control and cleaning procedures.

Spencer Lewis, spokesman of Galveston County, said that the barge could carry 30000 gallons of oil (about 1135500 liters). It was not clear how many leaked into the bay, and about 10.5 kilometers of waterways around the incident were closed.

The Galveston Branch of Texas A&M University, located on Pelican Island, said that the accident led to a short power outage at the school, and power has been restored.

According to US media reports, in recent months, American ships have hit bridges frequently. On March 26, a container ship collided with a bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, in the eastern United States and collapsed, killing six people. On April 12 and 13, on the Ohio River near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 26 inland barges broke away from their moorings due to floods and "drifted uncontrollably", one of which hit a bridge that had been closed. On May 9, in the Mississippi River section that flows through Iowa, a large barge was released from the tugboat and sank after hitting the Fort Madison Bridge, which is nearly 100 years old.