Early morning on Tuesday, a container ship collided with the Baltimore bridge titled Francis Scott Key Bridge resulting in a “catastrophic collapse”. It flung various vehicles and people into the water, as per Maryland’s officials.
Paul Wiedefeld, the Maryland Secretary of Transportation stated, “At this time, it is an active search and rescue mission.” He further informed that at the the time of the incident, there were workers present on the bridge that were working.
According to a statement provided by Maryland officials to the press on Tuesday, two people have been saved but only one seems to be in a critical state. The U.S. Coast Guard is running the search and rescue mission for people still missing.
A statement by the Baltimore Police says, “I can confirm at 1:35 a.m., Baltimore City police were notified of a partial bridge collapse, with workers possibly in the water, at the Francis Scott Key Bridge.” Officials later confirmed that the Baltimore Bridge had “fully collapsed.”
According to the Transportation Authority of Maryland, the cause of the incident is a “ship strike.”
The container ship seemingly struck a post of the Baltimore Bridge inducing the road to collapse in various spots and fall into the water, as seen in a video publicized on the social media platform, X.
Many vehicles fell from the Baltimore Bridge during the collapse, stated the Baltimore City Fire Department. Rescue divers were on the lookout for seven individuals.
Rescue boats from Coast Guard Stations Curtis Bay and Annapolis have corps spread out to the collapse scene for search and rescue, as per USCG. USCG said, “An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast is issued regarding the incident and there has been a 2000-yard safety zone issue for the surrounding waters. Mariners are urged to avoid the areas.”
