Early on Tuesday, a cargo ship collision caused a segment of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore to collapse, plunging numerous vehicles into the water below.
The incident occurred around 1:30 am when the vessel struck the bridge, igniting a fire before eventually sinking.
Footage shared on X depicted a significant portion of the 2.6km bridge collapsing, with several vehicles descending into the water.
“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.
Kevin Cartwright, the communications director for the Baltimore fire department, stated that emergency responders were actively scouring the water for a minimum of seven individuals.
Reports came in around 1:30 am via 911 calls, indicating that a vessel outbound from Baltimore had collided with a bridge column, resulting in its collapse.
Numerous vehicles, including one resembling a tractor-trailer, were present on the bridge during the incident.
“Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” Cartwright said. He said it was too early to know how many people were affected but described the collapse as a “developing mass casualty event”.
Cartwright said it appeared that there were “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge,” creating unsafe and unstable conditions and complicating the rescue operation. “This is a dire emergency,” he said.
READ ALSO: Improperly Imported Vehicles: Customs Cancels Penalty to Ease Hardship
Matthew West, a first-class petty officer with the Baltimore Coast Guard, informed The New York Times that at 1:27 am ET, the Coast Guard received a report of a collision. West stated that the Dali, a 948-foot (29-meter) cargo ship flagged from Singapore, struck the bridge, which forms part of Interstate 695.
According to the maritime data platform MarineTraffic, the Dali had departed from Baltimore at 1 am en route to the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott and County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. confirmed that emergency personnel were present at the site, actively engaged in rescue operations.
The Guardian
