It collapsed like a house of cards. The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland in the eastern United States, collapsed early on Tuesday March 26 after being struck by a large ship, US media reported.
#BREAKINGNEWS #maryland #baltimore #Keybridge collapses after contact with cargo ship pic.twitter.com/A1LmKwZxkX
— Hayward Jablomi (@HaywerdJablomi) March 26, 2024
The ship crashed into the bridge, catching fire before sinking and causing several vehicles to fall into the Patapsco River, according to a video posted on X.
"All lanes are closed in both directions due to an incident on the I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being diverted," the Maryland Transportation Authority said at Site X.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said emergency personnel were responding and rescue operations were underway.
Rescuers are searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Kevin Cartwright, communications director for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press around 3 a.m.
“Our current focus is on the rescue and recovery of these people,” Mr Cartwright said. It's still too early to know how many people were affected, but he called the collapse a "developing mass event."
He said agencies received 911 calls around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a ship coming from Baltimore had struck a column of the bridge, causing it to collapse. Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer.
AFP and AP
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