The Francis Scott Key Bridge in the city of Baltimore, US, collapsed on Tuesday early morning. The bridge was struck by a large ship as seen in the videos circulating.
A portion of the 2.57 km long bridge collapsed causing the vehicles to fall into the river. According to latest media reports, as many as 20 workers are feared to have fallen into the river.
The Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X, formerly Twitter, stating that all lanes are closed for both directions and the traffic is being detoured. The police were notified at 1:35 am ET on Tuesday.
Videos circulating on social media show a major portion of the bridge collapsing into the water after the ship crashed into the bridge causing a fire breakout.
Multiple vehicles fell into the water below and the incident is called a “developing mass casualty event” by the officials.
The mayor of Baltimore confirmed that emergency personnel were at the scene and actively engaged in rescue operations. Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, said that emergency responders were initially searching for at least seven individuals believed to be in the water.
According to Cartwright, 911 calls began coming in around 1:30 am, reporting that a vessel traveling outbound from Baltimore had collided with a bridge column, resulting in its collapse. The bridge was occupied by multiple vehicles at the time, including one resembling a tractor-trailer.
Cartwright emphasized that the primary focus at present is on the rescue and recovery of those affected. While it is still early to ascertain the exact number of individuals impacted, Cartwright referred to the incident as a “developing mass casualty event.”