Watch live: Police hold press conference after Baltimore bridge collapse
Watch live as police hold a press conference after the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday morning (26 March).
A container ship crashed into the structure at around 01:30am ET, causing a section of the 1.6-mile, four-lane bridge to tumble into the Patapsco River.
Footage of the incident was captured by a live webcam.
Authorities have declared a “mass casualty event” with seven people feared to be in the water and desperate rescue efforts currently under way in a race against the clock.
Multiple cars are thought to have been crossing over the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer.
Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that agencies started receiving 911 calls around 1:30am.
“Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” he said.
According to the Marine Traffic website, the ship that crashed into the bridge was bound for Colombo Port in Sri Lanka.
