A container ship lost power and struck a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday morning, causing the span to buckle into the river below and sending a construction crew and a number of other vehicles into the dangerously cold water. Rescuers pulled two people out, but six others were reported missing. Watch the live coverage from sister station WBAL within the video player above. Six persons are unaccounted for, and search and rescue operations are ongoing, city authorities announced at a press conference on Tuesday. After the collapse, a total of eight people fell into the water. Two people were rescued, one person was taken to a local trauma center, and one person was not injured. The ship’s operators issued a mayday call moments before the crash that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, allowing authorities to limit vehicle traffic over the span, Maryland’s governor said. The ship hit one among the bridge supports, as a results of which the structure fell apart like a toy. Within seconds, he fell into the water – a shocking sight that was captured on video and posted on social media. The ship caught fire and thick black smoke billowed from it. The crash occurred well before the busy morning commute, in what one official called a “widening mass casualty event.” The ship was hurtling toward the bridge at “very, very high speed” – authorities had simply enough time to stop cars from entering the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said. Video below: Maryland Secretary of Transportation reacts to Key Bridge collapse “You never thought you would see, you would physically see, the Key Bridge collapsed like that. It looked like something out of an action movie,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, calling it an “unthinkable tragedy.” Authorities said an eight-person crew was working on the bridge at the time of the collapse, and sonar detected vehicles nearby. The water is about 15 meters deep. The water temperature before Tuesday’s dawn was around 8 degrees Celsius, according to a data-gathering buoy for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse. , including one the size of a truck with a trailer. The bridge collapsed in the middle of the night, when traffic would be lighter than during the day, when thousands of cars cross the span. Video below: What to know about the ship after the bridge disaster Cartwright called the collapse a “progressive mass casualty event,” though he didn’t know at the time how many people Synergy Marine Group — which manages the ship called Dali — confirmed that the ship hit the bridge pillar around at 1:30 a.m. when it was steered by one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help ships navigate safely to port. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. All crew members, including the two pilots on board, are said to have been injured and no injuries have been reported. As the sun rose on Tuesday, the protruding remains of the bridge were illuminated. from the water surface. The ramp ended abruptly where the span once began. Cartwright said some cargo was hanging from the bridge, which spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to the busy port. The river leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major shipping hub on the East Coast. The bridge, opened in 1977, is named after the author of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The video below shows the moment the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed. Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said all vessel traffic entering and leaving the port would be suspended until further notice, although the facility was still open to trucks.Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said he was working to mobilize federal resources. The FBI arrived at the scene but stated that there was no credible information suggesting terrorism. President Joe Biden was informed of this. The aerial footage below shows the aftermath of the Baltimore bridge collapse. President Joe Biden spoke about the bridge collapse Tuesday afternoon, saying the federal government would send all the resources the city and state need. “We are with you, we are going to do this.” stick with you so long as it takes. “Like the governor said, you are tough in Maryland, you are strong in Baltimore and we’ll get through this together and I promise we can’t walk away,” Biden said. the president called on Congress to mobilize the federal government to cover the prices of constructing the brand new bridge. “My intention is for the federal government to cover the entire cost of rebuilding the bridge,” Biden said. Video below: President Biden in Baltimore According to Marine Traffic records, Dali was flying from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka and was flying the Singapore flag. According to the web site, the container ship is about 300 meters long and about 57 meters wide. Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered a vessel that was carrying its customers’ cargo. There were no Maersk crew or staff on board. The collapse sent Maersk’s shares on the Nasdaq stock exchange in Copenhagen down 2% in early trading on Tuesday.
A container ship lost power and struck a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday morning, causing the span to buckle into the river below and sending a construction crew and a number of other vehicles into the dangerously cold water. Rescuers pulled two people out, but six others were reported missing.
The city authorities announced at Tuesday’s press conference that six people had not been found and search and rescue operations were ongoing. After the collapse, a total of eight people fell into the water. Two people were rescued, one person was taken to a local trauma center, and one person was not injured.
The ship’s operators issued a mayday call moments before the crash that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, allowing authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland’s governor said.
The ship struck one among the bridge supports, causing the structure to collapse like a toy. Within seconds, he fell into the water – a shocking sight that was captured on video and posted on social media. The ship burst into flames and thick black smoke billowed from it.
The accident occurred well before the busy morning commute, in what one official said was an “unfolding mass casualty event.”
Because the ship was hurtling toward the bridge at “very, very high speeds,” authorities had simply enough time to stop cars from crossing the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
“You would never think you’d see, physically, the Key Bridge collapse like this. It looked like something out of an motion movie,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, calling it an “unthinkable tragedy.”
Authorities said an eight-person crew was working on the bridge at the time of the collapse, and sonar detected vehicles in water about 50 feet deep. Before dawn on Tuesday, the water temperature was around 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius). in line with the buoy which collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, communications director for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles, including one the dimensions of a tractor-trailer, were on the bridge on the time of the collapse. The bridge collapsed in the midst of the night, when there was less traffic than in the course of the day, when hundreds of cars crossed the span.
Cartwright called the collapse a “progressive mass event,” although he didn’t know on the time how many individuals were affected.
Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship called Dali, confirmed that the ship struck a bridge pillar at around 1:30 a.m. while it was being controlled by a number of pilots, who’re local specialists who help ships reach ports safely. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd.
All crew members, including the 2 pilots on board, were said to have recovered and no injuries were reported.
As the sun rose on Tuesday, the jagged stays of the bridge protruding from the water’s surface were illuminated. The entrance ended abruptly where the span had once begun.
Cartwright said some cargo was hanging from a bridge over the Patapsco River at the doorway to the busy port. The river results in the Port of Baltimore, a major shipping hub on the East Coast. The bridge, opened in 1977, is called after the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said all ship traffic entering and leaving the port will probably be suspended until further notice, although the ability will remain open to trucks.
Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said he was working to mobilize federal resources. The FBI arrived on the scene but stated that there was no credible information suggesting terrorism. President Joe Biden was informed of this.
President Joe Biden spoke concerning the bridge collapse Tuesday afternoon, saying the federal government would send all of the resources town and state need.
“We are with you and we intend to stay with you as long as necessary. “Like the governor said, you’re tough from Maryland, you’re strong from Baltimore and we’ll get through this together and I promise we won’t walk away,” Biden said.
The president called on Congress to mobilize the federal government to pay for construction of the replacement bridge.
“My intention is for the federal government to cover the entire cost of rebuilding the bridge,” Biden said.
According to Marine Traffic records, Dali was flying from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and was flying the Singapore flag. According to the web site, the container ship is about 300 meters long and about 57 meters wide.
Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered a vessel that was carrying its customers’ cargo. There were no Maersk crew or staff on board. The collapse sent Maersk’s shares on the Nasdaq stock exchange in Copenhagen down 2% in early trading on Tuesday.
