NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Workers armed with torches began cutting up the barge Friday that landed in the decimated Ninth Ward and became an internationally recognized symbol of the severity of Hurricane Katrina's destruction.

The 200-foot barge that came to rest on houses opposite the Industrial Canal wall has become an icon of the shocking devastation. It's been visited by dignitaries and hoards of tourists. The rusting hulk, washed into the neighborhood by Katrina and then moved when Hurricane Rita caused more flooding, had not been moved until this week.

Using large black rubber tubes, workers hired by the owner, Ingram Barge, lifted and moved the barge. It will be cut in 12 sections. Some of it will be stored as evidence in pending litigation and the rest scrapped.