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Captain missing after tugboat capsizes on Mississippi River

The Seattle Slew capsized near Myrtle Grove Fleet north of Point A La Hache around 8:12 p.m. with 3 people on board.

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, La. — One man is missing after a tugboat capsized Monday night on the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish.

The U.S. Coast Guard reports that the 54-foot vessel Seattle Slew capsized near Myrtle Grove Fleet north of Point A La Hache around 8:12 p.m. with three people onboard.

Law enforcement sources tell Eyewitness News that two crew members jumped overboard and have been found, but the captain, David Mills, is missing.

The two crew members were taken to University Medical Center but are in good condition.

A spokesperson for the sheriff's office tells Eyewitness News that the vessel left from Turn Services on the West Bank and was trying to move an empty barge when it started to take on water. 

A photograph on the company's website pictures a tugboat with the name Seattle Slew.

About three miles of the Mississippi River has been closed to river traffic while authorities search for the missing person. The cause of the capsizing is still under investigation.

Stay with Eyewitness News on WWL-TV and WWLTV.com for more on this developing story.

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