A cargo ship passes below the Francis Scott Key Bridge while leaving the Port of Baltimore October 14, 2021, in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed after a ship collided with it, the Maryland Transportation Authority said early Tuesday.
“I-695 Key Bridge collapse due to ship strike,” the MTA posted on social media platform X, referring to the interstate highway. It urged drivers to avoid the route over the Patapsco River, which it called an “active scene”.
Earlier, the MTA had said interstate lanes in both directions were closed due to an “incident” on the bridge and that traffic was being redirected.
A police spokesperson from the Baltimore Police Department told NBC News that people were possibly in the river.
“I can confirm at 1:35 a.m., Baltimore City police were notified of a partial bridge collapse, with workers possibly in the water, at the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Detective Niki Fennoy said in a statement.
Ship monitoring website MarineTraffic showed a Singapore-flagged container ship called the Dali stopped under the bridge early Tuesday.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scoot and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr both said they were aware of the incident and that rescue efforts were underway.
Part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early on Tuesday morning after a column was hit by a large container ship, sending cars and possibly people into the Patapsco River.
The Baltimore City Fire Department told CBS News that at about 1:30 a.m., 911 calls started coming in saying a vessel had hit a bridge column.
It was unclear how many vehicles were on the span but “there was surely a large tractor-trailer” on it.
“There are at least seven people” in the river and “the dive and rescue team has arrived on scene to locate the individuals.”The department said on its scanner that there was lots of diesel fuel in the water around the ship and that there were construction workers on the bridge pouring concrete at the time.
A Baltimore police spokesperson told CBS News there was a “partial bridge collapse, with workers possibly in the water.”
The MidAtlantic Coast Guard said the 948-foot Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali had struck the bridge. It was apparently en route from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott said on social media that. “I’m aware of and en route to the incident at the Key Bridge. … Emergency personnel are on scene, and efforts are underway.”
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said on social media that, “Rescue efforts are underway. Please pray for those impacted.”
The Maryland Transportation Authority said all lanes were closed in both directions for an incident on I-695 Key Bridge and later posted that traffic was being detoured to I-95 and I-895
