Two people working on powerlines near the Mississippi River died Thursday when their helicopter hit the lines, crashed into a barge and sparked a fire that belched plumes of black smoke, officials said.

The chopper crew is believed to have been working on power lines when it crashed into one of them and then hit the barge below. Large plumes of smoke and an explosion were captured on camera in the incident that killed two.

Two people died when a helicopter crashed into a barge in the Mississippi River near East Alton, Illinois, on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration said.