Mississippi River reopens after fuel spill, cleanup continues

(Reuters) - The upper Mississippi River reopened to vessel traffic near Le Claire, Iowa, late on Tuesday following a day-long closure triggered by a fuel leak from a tow boat that struck an underwater object and sank, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday. The river, which was closed late Monday from mile marker 493 to 501 about 15 miles upriver from Davenport, Iowa, reopened at about 6:00 p.m. CST (midnight GMT) on Tuesday. The tow boat Stephen L. Colby remains partially submerged near the shoreline. Cleanup and salvage operations are ongoing, the Coast Guard said. (Reporting by Karl Plume in Chicago; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)