Bridge has collapsed straight into the water - looking for people

Baltimore

Bridge collapses in Baltimore after ship collision
The 2,600 meter long Key bridge collapsed

Ebba Thornéus, 

Noam Bertling

Updated 10.21 | Published 07.37

A cargo ship ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in the United States on Tuesday morning.

Videos show how the large ship drives into one of the bridge piers and how the bridge then collapses.

Several people and cars are in the water, according to the rescue service.

It was around 1:30 a.m. local time that a cargo ship for an unknown reason drove into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in the state of Maryland.

Videos from the scene show how the cargo ship drives into one of the bridge piers, after which a large part of the bridge collapses into the water.

During the morning hours, a major rescue operation was underway at the collision site.

- This is a terrible emergency. We are currently actively looking for seven people. Even cars must have ended up in the water, explained Kevin Cartwright, press spokesperson for the emergency services in Baltimore to Aftonbladet on Tuesday morning.

During the morning, however, several American news media stated that the number of people who ended up in the water could be up to 20, and that several are believed to be construction workers who were working on the bridge when it collapsed.
Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore before the accident.

 

50 different units on site

The bridge, which spans the Patapsco River, is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) long and the longest in the region. It runs in a northwesterly direction from the US capital Washington towards New York.

The bridge is currently closed in both directions and traffic is being diverted.

On Marine Traffic you can see how several rescue and police boats are at the collision site.

- We have more than 50 different units on site and the effort is led by several authorities, says Kevin Cartwright to Aftonbladet.

The Singapore-flagged ship is 300 meters long and 48 meters wide.

The cargo ship's journey started in the port of Baltimore at 01:00 local time, and was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka, where it was expected to arrive on April 22.

The shipping company responsible, Synergy Marine Group, confirms to the BBC that the vessel is theirs, but that the cause of the collision is unclear. It is also stated that none of their crew members have been injured.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge was inaugurated in 1977 and is named after the American writer Francis Scott Key, who among other things wrote the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner".

Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after the accident.
GPS images show how a cargo ship has stopped at the bridge anchorage, surrounded by rescue vessels.

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