Barge collision dumps oil byproduct in Mississippi

NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana officials say most of about 2,000 gallons of an oil byproduct has been contained after it spilled into the Mississippi River in a weekend accident.

The Sunday morning accident involved a tow boat and a barge. No injuries were reported.

State Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Rodney Mallett says most of the "vacuum gas oil" remained on the barge. The oil is a thick, waxy liquid extracted during the refining process of crude oil.

Officials say workers removed 385 gallons of the oil and there was no other visible trace of the product as of Monday morning.