Mississippi River levee breaks

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A levee protecting farmland near the swollen Mississippi River broke on Tuesday morning, flooding some farmland and causing evacuations but no injuries, an Illinois Emergency Management Agency official said.

"We had some people who were actually out sandbagging at the time this occurred," said Patti Thompson, communications manager for the agency.

"At this point, it appears everyone was safely rescued and there were no injuries or deaths. I believe there were some people evacuated from nearby homes. A fairly small number. It's more agricultural flooding with some homes affected," Thompson said.

The breach on the Illinois side near Gulfport, opposite Burlington, Iowa, prompted the closure of the bridge across the river into the city, she added.

(Reporting by Peter Bohan; Editing by John Picinich)