Baltimore: Bridge collapses into water after collision with container ship

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The "Dali" collides with the Francis Scott Key Bridge

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Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA

In the US city of Baltimore, a ship rammed a four-lane car bridge and caused it to collapse. The Maryland State Transportation Authority announced this early this morning. More than 20 people may have fallen into the cold water, CNN reported, citing the fire department. According to the Baltimore Fire Department, two people have now been rescued from the water, one is said to have sustained serious injuries.

As US media reported, citing the coast guard and the fire department, the first emergency calls were received around 1:30 a.m. Surveillance camera videos shared on social media showed the ship ramming one of the support pillars, causing large parts of the bridge to collapse into the water. Several vehicles that were on the bridge at the time of the collapse also fell into the river.

A trucker who regularly passes the bridge told CBS News that he had no hopes for the people who might have fallen into the water. The water in the harbor is so incredibly cold at this time of year. "It's like the Titanic." A CBS reporter on site said the bridge had "basically completely disappeared."

The temperatures are cause for great concern, not only with regard to the casualties, but also as a risk for the divers deployed, said Baltimore Fire Department spokesman Kevin Cartwright to CNN.

The ship's crew is in good health, the New York Times reported, citing a statement from the owners. They confirmed the incident - there were no injuries on the ship. The ship named “Dali” rammed one of the bridge pillars at around 1:30 a.m. The cause of the collision still needs to be determined.

The "Dali" was supposed to sail from Baltimore to Sri Lanka under the Singapore flag, the New York Times and CBS News reported, citing the Coast Guard. The ship is almost 290 meters long. The Marinetraffic portal said that the “Dali” left the port of Baltimore at one o’clock (local time).

The Francis Scott Key Bridge crosses the Patapsco River in the metropolis in the northeast of the USA. According to the Maryland Department of Transportation, it is more than 2.5 kilometers long and has four lanes. The bridge is named after Francis Scott Key, the author of the US national anthem “Star-Spangled Banner,” and was opened in 1977.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said on X (formerly Twitter) that he was aware of the Key Bridge incident and was on his way there. “Emergency forces are on site and rescue work is underway.”

As recently as February 2024, five people died in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong after a freighter rammed a car bridge and caused it to partially collapse. In Brazil, a nearly 900-meter-long road bridge over the Moju River collapsed in April 2019 after a ferry rammed one of the massive pillars. In January 2012, a ship loaded with rocket parts for the US Air Force and the NASA space agency tore a gap more than 90 meters long in a road bridge in the US state of Kentucky. The captain had taken the wrong route under the bridge, which was only designated for water sports enthusiasts and not for heavy ships.

svs/dpa/Reuters/AFP