Footage of the incident shows cars falling into the water
A large section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has collapsed into the Patapsco River after being hit by a ship, the authorities in the largest city of the US state of Maryland have confirmed.
The incident happened at around 1:30 am, according to AP. The clips posted on X (formerly Twitter) show several sections of the bridge going down, with multiple cars falling into the water.
There have so far been no reports of deaths or injuries.
The Maryland Transportation Authority said that all lanes in both directions were closed on the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured, it added.
The director of communications for the Baltimore City Fire Department, Kevin Cartwright, confirmed to the BBC that the bridge had been struck by “a large vessel” and partially collapsed. “As many as seven individuals and several vehicles” ended up in the Patapsco River, Cartwright said.
BREAKING: Ship collides with Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse pic.twitter.com/OcOrSjOCRn
— BNO News (@BNONews) March 26, 2024
In a separate comment to AP, Cartwright described the situation as a “developing mass casualty event,” saying it is too early to determine how many people were affected.
He went on to say it appears that there are “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge,” which complicates the work of the rescuers, making them operate more cautiously. “This is a dire emergency,” the spokesman added.
The vessel that caused the collapse could be the Singaporean-flagged container ship Dali, Sky News reported, citing data from MarineTraffic website.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge is a 1.6-mile (2,632-meter) four-lane bridge across the Patapsco River. It was opened in 1977 and serves as the outermost crossing of the Baltimore harbor.
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