A major bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed on Tuesday after a large cargo ship collided with it. The collision caused the bridge to crash into the river below, bringing several people in vehicles with it.
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Video footage of the incident has gone viral on social media, showing the large vessel colliding with one of the support beams of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Smoke was seen billowing from the ship before the entire 2.6-kilometre bridge began crumbling into the Patapsco River.
BREAKING: Ship collides with Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse pic.twitter.com/OcOrSjOCRn
— BNO News (@BNONews) March 26, 2024
The incident was described by the Baltimore City Fire Department’s communications chief as a ‘developing mass casualty event’, with search and rescue operations currently continuing throughout the day.
Baltimore’s fire chief, James Wallace, announced in a media conference that officials were searching for ‘upwards of seven people’ and that two others had been pulled from the water. One of them was in serious condition.
According to media reports, it is believed that an unknown number of workers were doing repairs on the four-lane bridge’s concrete deck when it collapsed.
He said the fire department is using sonar to detect vehicles that fell into the water but emergency crews don’t have a count of exactly how many yet.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, which opened in 1977, forms a major part of the road network around the industrial city of Baltimore and carries more than 11 million vehicles a year.
🚨#BREAKING: Morning Daylight reveals the aftermath of the mass casualty event of the Scott Key Bridge collapse
Watch As morning daylight approaches, it reveals the devastating aftermath of an early morning incident after a large cargo ship from… pic.twitter.com/zzXBuUB5m0
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 26, 2024
Ship monitoring website MarineTraffic showed a Singapore-flagged container ship called the Dali stopped under the bridge early Tuesday while en route to Colombo, Sri lanka – its intended destination.
The 300 metre-long Dali is owned and managed by Synergy Marine Group, which confirmed in a statement that their vessel had struck one of the bridge’s pillars.
‘All [22] crew members, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries. There has also been no pollution,’ said the firm.
‘While the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, The Dali has now mobilised its Qualified Individual Incident response service,’ the statement continued.
‘The US Coast Guard and local officials have been notified and the owners and managers are fully cooperating with Federal and State government agencies under an approved plan.’
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Picture: @rawsalerts / X