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27-03-2024
BALTIMORE: A major bridge has collapsed in the US city of Baltimore after it was hit by a cargo ship.
Footage shows a large section of the 1.6 mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge falling into the Patapsco River, following the collision at around 1.30am local time (5.30am UK time).
Vehicles can be seen in the video falling from the bridge.
Earlier, Baltimore’s fire service said up to 20 people were reported to be in the water, but that number has since been revised.
In an update on Tuesday morning, James Wallace, the chief of Baltimore’s fire department said;
- Two people have already been rescued from the water;
- One of those rescued is in a “very serious condition” and the other was not injured;
- Authorities are still looking for “upwards of seven individuals” in the water;
- There is an active ongoing search and rescue operation in place over a large area;
- The crew of the ship are still on board the vessel but are communicating with the coast guard;
- Sonar devices have detected the presence of vehicles submerged in the water.
Maryland governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency as the search for people in the water continues.
The current temperature of the water in Baltimore Harbour is between 9-10C, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US said.
Speaking at a news conference, Brandon Scott, Baltimore mayor, said the collapse “looked like something out of an action movie”.
“Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that,” he said.
Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore City Fire Department, called the incident “a mass-casualty, multi-agency event” that would last for many days.
He said the main focus right now was “trying to rescue and recover these people” and described the collapse as a “developing mass casualty event”.
Cartwright said it appears there were “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge,” creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency service workers were operating cautiously as a result.
“This is a dire emergency,” he added.
The White House said it is “closely monitoring” the situation and its “hearts go out” to the families of those who are missing after the “horrific incident”.
In a statement, it said: “The US Coast Guard is conducting search and rescue for those who remain unaccounted for as a result of the bridge collapse.
“Senior White House officials are in touch with the governor and mayor to offer any federal assistance they need. There is no indication of any nefarious intent.”
The container ship, known as the Dali, was headed to Colombo in Sri Lanka at the time of the collision.
Data from MarineTraffic showed the Singapore-flagged ship came to a halt at the bridge before two tug boats arrived at the scene.
CCTV and marine tracking data shows the Dali lose power, adjust its course and start smoking around 60 seconds before it hits the bridge. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
