Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said Tuesday morning that eight people were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore when a container ship rammed into one of its supports, causing the bridge to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River below.
Wiedefeld said two of the eight people have been accounted for as emergency responders, including dive teams, continue their search and rescue operation for at least six others. State and federal authorities have maintained that all evidence in the bridge collapse “points to an accident.”
“The preliminary investigation points to an accident. We haven’t seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack,” Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore said.
Moore confirmed that the container ship’s crew issued a mayday and said the ship was experiencing issues with its power, Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Banner reported. Moore said the crew’s mayday signal meant transportation officials were able to stop more traffic from crossing over the bridge before the ship struck it.
“These people are heroes. They saved lives last night,” Moore said.
The 1.6-mile-long bridge is part of Interstate 695, also known as the Baltimore Beltway, and is a major crossing of the Patapsco River.
Earlier in the day, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said two people were rescued from the water; one person was unharmed, while the second was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. Wiedefeld also confirmed in a press conference that contractors were working on the bridge at the time of the collapse but did not say how many workers were believed to be on the structure when it was struck by the container ship.
Video footage of the bridge collapse appeared to show the container ship striking one of the bridge’s supports.
BREAKING: Ship collides with Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse pic.twitter.com/OcOrSjOCRn
— BNO News (@BNONews) March 26, 2024
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The Singapore-flagged ship, called DALI is chartered by the Danish shipping company Maersk, the company told CNN. The ship was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, according to the company, and was on its way to Sri Lanka from the Baltimore Harbor. Twenty-two crew members were onboard DALI, and there were no reports of any injuries. The container ship was being piloted by local pilots at the time of the collision, not its own crew, according to CNN. Local pilots, who are familiar with the harbor, are used to move cargo ships out to open water in hopes of avoiding accidents.
Another video of the collision and bridge collapse showed the ship’s lights going out before it hit the bridge.
Breaking News: Mass Casualty event declared in the US after a ship slams into a Bridge
The full video can be seen here.
Developing story#Baltimore #USA #bridgecollapse pic.twitter.com/E5bWMovtjo
— Jim Ferguson (@JimFergusonUK) March 26, 2024