Mississippi cargo ship incident: Over 60 containers fall into water at Long Beach port; no injuries reported

More than 60 shipping containers fell off a cargo ship Tuesday morning at the Port of Long Beach , plunging into the water.

No injuries were reported, according to Port of Long Beach spokesperson Art Marroquin, cited by AP.

The containers toppled from the vessel Mississippi shortly before 9 am. The US Coast Guard reported on social media that about 67 containers ended up in the water. Some appeared to have fallen onto the STAX 2, an anti-pollution vessel attached to the side of the Mississippi that captures emissions.

Empty containers can weigh between two and four metric tons (2.2 to 4.4 tons), depending on their size.

As authorities worked to secure the containers, the Pier G container terminal, one of six at the port, temporarily halted unloading and loading operations.

The Mississippi sails under the flag of Portugal and had arrived in Long Beach after departing August 26 from the Yantian port in Shenzhen, China, according to vessel tracking websites.

Long Beach, located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, is one of the busiest seaports in the United States . Approximately 40 per cent of all shipping containers in the country pass through either the Port of Long Beach or the Port of Los Angeles.