A major bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed Tuesday when a ship hit with it, plummeting into the ocean below and apparently carrying automobiles with it.
Dramatic CCTV film shows what looks to be a container ship colliding with the footing of the Francis Scott Key bridge, causing it to plunge into the Patapsco River, followed by the majority of the gigantic structure.
Lights from what appear to be vehicles can be seen on the road surface as the bridge warps and smashes in pieces, with the third tranche cantilevering upwards before also falling into the river.
We have reason to think that vehicles, including a tractor-trailer, fell into the water,” Kevin Cartwright of the Baltimore Fire Department told the Baltimore Sun, adding that “the entire bridge” had collapsed.
A Baltimore Police Department spokesman informed NBC News that people could be in the river.
“I can confirm at 1:35 am, Baltimore City police were notified of a partial bridge collapse, with workers possibly in the water, at the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” the detective added.
The 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) four-lane bridge crosses the Patapsco River southwest of Baltimore.
It opened in 1977 and transports more over 11 million vehicles annually.
It is an important section of the road network surrounding Baltimore, an industrial city on the US East Coast adjacent to the capital, Washington, DC.
The Maryland Transportation Authority advised cars to avoid the bridge, which is part of the I-695 interstate route and is described as a “active scene”.
MarineTraffic, a ship monitoring website, said that the Dali, a Singapore-flagged container ship, had halted under the bridge early Tuesday.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scoot and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. confirmed that they were aware of the event and that rescue attempts were ongoing.
“Please pray for those impacted,” Olszewski wrote on X.
Scott stated he was “en route to the incident.”