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NEW ORLEANS, LA (WGNO) – A truck driver died today after the 18-wheeler he was driving plunged into Irish Bayou.

According to NOPD, officers responded about 8:30 a.m. to reports of a vehicle crash along I-10 East near Michoud Boulevard. Officers discovered that an 18-wheeler was traveling eastbound and, for unknown reasons, veered off the roadway and into the median, coming to rest in a canal and submerging the cab in Irish Bayou.

The driver was extracted from the semi and pronounced dead at a local hospital. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office has not released his identity yet.

As of 11:40 a.m., I-10 East remained closed in the area for vehicle recovery, and I-10 West was congested because it’s down to one lane. Motorists are encouraged to find alternate routes.