Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse: One critical in hospital, two pulled to safety as Baltimore cops race to save up to 20 who plunged into Patapsco River when Singaporean container ship crashed into bridge
Baltimore officials are racing to save up to 20 people who plunged into the Patapsco River after a Singaporean cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning following the catastrophic collision at about 1.30am. The ship’s crew has remained on board the ship, which remains marooned under the bridge, and are being questioned by members of the Coast Guard.
The Maryland Department of Transportation said there is an active search and rescue mission as of 7.30am.
Initial reports indicate that at least a dozen cars hit the 47 degree water in addition to a 20 or so construction workers who were doing concrete repair work on the bridge at the time. The workers were pouring concrete on to the bridge at the time of crash.
At the first press conference around 6:30 am, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace could only confirm that two people were pulled from the water. One was unhurt, the other had to be rushed to a local hospital with ‘serious injuries.’
Baltimore officials are on a race to save up to 20 people who plunged into the Patapsco River after a Singaporean cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge
The Maryland Department of Transportation said there is an active search and rescue mission as of 7.30am
Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning following the catastrophic collision at about 1.30am
Astonishing footage shows the moment the vessel plowed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, sending the colossal steel structure crashing into the Patapsco River
The FBI has ruled out terrorism as a cause to the crash.
It was not immediately clear what caused the cargo ship to crash into the bridge long before the busy morning commute in what one official called a ‘developing mass casualty event’ in a major American city just outside of Washington.
According to an early Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) report, the container ship ‘lost propulsion’ as it was leaving port.
‘The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel and an allision with the bridge was possible,’ the report said. ‘The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.’
The ship crashed into one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to snap and buckle at several points and tumble into the water in a matter of seconds — a shocking spectacle that was captured on video and posted on social media. The vessel caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.
The rescue effort incorporates Coast Guard ships, local police boats, Baltimore’s Fire Department, volunteer fire departments from the surrounding areas as well as teams of divers as the desperate search for survivors goes on.
There appeared to be an explosion on the container ship as it collided with the bridge sending container and diesel flooding into the water. One of the vehicles that fell to the water was a tractor-trailer.
The ship involved is the 948 foot long Dali, a Singaporean-flagged container which could be seen on ship tracking websites positioned stationary under the bridge following the crash.
The bridge spans 9,000 feet across the Patapsco River and is 180 feet above the water
It left Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal at 12:24am, at 1:25am, is began to slow and diverted off of its course. The video shows lights going off on board just before the crash.
The Dali ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka. It’s unclear what cargo it was holding. The vessel was due to land in Asia on April 27.
According to the ship’s owners, all crew members were accounted for with no injuries reported.
Around 30,000 vehicles use the bridge, which is named for the writer of the Star Spangled Banner, every day. It opened in 1977.
Sonar has indicated that there are vehicles in the water, where the temperature was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.
The bridge came down in the middle of night when traffic would be lighter than during the day when thousands of cars traverse the span.
In 2001, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in a tunnel in downtown Baltimore and caught fire, spewing black smoke into surrounding neighborhoods and forcing officials to temporarily close all major roads into the city.
