This is a painful reminder of just how dangerous this work can be,” a local emergency management agency said in a statement about the crash.

Nicholas Fulton, 35, of Salem, Missouri, and Michael Curry, 37, of Ashley, Illinois, were in the helicopter that struck power lines and crashed into a barge on Thursday.

EAST ALTON, Ill. -- 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.