Maryland’s Key Bridge collapses after being struck by large container ship as astonishing footage shows the 1.6-mile long structure crashing into river amid fears of mass casualty event

A 9,000ft bridge in Maryland has collapsed after being struck by a container ship.

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, shortly before 1.30am Eastern.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties but there did appear to be traffic on the bridge at the time of the catastrophe.

The US Coast Guard and the Maryland Transportation Authority confirmed the crash but provided no further details.

A livestream showed the disaster unfolding, with the vessel plowing into a pile holding up the central part of the bridge. The road and steel arches immediately tumble into the water.

There appeared to be an explosion on the container ship as the bridge smashed into the vessel.

The ship is reportedly the Dali, a Singaporean-flagged container which could be seen on ship tracking websites positioned stationary under the bridge following the crash.

Multiple boats marked as Coast Guard search and rescue vessels were surrounding the ship at around 3am Eastern.  

The 1.6-mile bridge, which is part of I-695, crosses the Patapsco River in Baltimore’s harbor. Built in 19777, the main span of the truss bridge at 1,200ft is the third longest span of any continuous truss in the world.