At least seven people were missing this Tuesday morning and were actively searched by the Firefighters of the city of Baltimore in the northern United States, after the bridge collapse on the Patapsco River due to the crash of a cargo ship against one of its pillars, according to local sources.
The city’s Fire Department indicated that a team of divers is searching in the water for those seven people, supposedly occupants of vehicles that fell into the river due to the accident on the metal-structured Francis Scott Key Bridge.
An anonymous video shows how the ship crashes into one of the pillars that support the bridge, which completely collapses in a matter of minutes.
I’m freaking out about this.
A cargo ship has collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore (USA).
It is not yet known exactly how many injured/victims there are, but several cars that were on the bridge have fallen into the river. pic.twitter.com/QSLaJWBj6W
— #WhyTT (@xqTTs) March 26, 2024
He freighter, named Dali, flag of Singapore and 948 feet in length (288.9 meters), caught fire after the collision, according to fire and police sources.
Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, confirmed to the local television station WBFF that the bridge had been struck by “a large ship,” causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River.
“At least seven people and several vehicles” have fallen into the river, Cartwright said.
The city’s mayor, Brandon Scott, reported in X who was on the way to the scene of the accident, as were emergency teams.
Emergency agencies received warning calls around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a boat leaving Baltimore had hit one of the bridge pillars. At the time, there were several vehicles on the bridge, including one the size of a tractor-trailer.
“All lanes in both directions are closed due to an incident on the I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being diverted,” explained the Maryland Transportation Authority in X.
He metal bridge, which opened in 1977, is 1.6 miles long (2.5 kilometers) and spans both banks of the Patapsco River. It is part of Maryland’s Interstate 695, which surrounds Baltimore and has been closed after the accident.