Container ship hits the Baltimore Bridge, collapsing it

The 2.57 km long Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday after a container ship hit it, and as many as seven people may be in the water, officials said.

A live video posted on YouTube showed a ship hitting the bridge, after which several of its spans collapsed into the Patapsco River. Unverified videos posted on social media X also showed the impact and collapse.

The Baltimore City Fire Department described the collapse as a mass-casualty incident, and said workers were searching for seven people in the river.

"We received several 911 calls at around 1:30 am, that a vessel struck the Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the collapse. This is currently a mass casualty incident and we are searching for seven people who are in the river," director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department Kevin Cartwright, told Reuters News Agency.

Baltimore police said they had been notified of the incident at 01:35 a.m. ET (08:35 GMT +3) on Tuesday.

The Associated Press reported that multiple vehicles had fallen into the water.

Who's the Owner of the Ship?

Owner of the container ship that cause the accident, Synergy Marine Corp, said that a Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” collided with one of the pillars of the bridge and that all its crew members, including the two pilots have been accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.

The registered owner of the ship is Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and the manager is Synergy Marine Group, LSEG data show. Grace Ocean Pte Ltd is yet to make a comment.

"All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured," Maryland Transportation Authority said in a post on X.

It was not immediately clear if the Baltimore port operations were impacted due to the bridge collapse.

The port's private and public terminals handled 847 thousand 158 autos and light trucks in 2023, the most of any U.S. port. The port also handles farm and construction machinery, sugar, gypsum and coal, according to a Maryland government website.

"I'm aware of and en route to the incident at the Key Bridge... Emergency personnel are on scene, and efforts are underway," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said on an X post.

UPDATE: STATE OF EMERGENCY ISSUED IN MARYLAND

The collapse of the Francis Scott Bridge prompted the declaration of a state of emergency in the US for the first time since June 11, 2023.

In a statement shared by Carter Elliott, spokesperson for Maryland Governor Wes Moore, gave the following statement:

"My office is in close communication with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski and the Baltimore Fire Department as emergency personnel are on the scene following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

I have declared a State of Emergency here in Maryland and we are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration. We are grateful to the brave men and women who worked to rescue those involved and prayed for everyone's safety.

As we continue to assess and respond to this tragedy, we will be in close contact with federal, state, and local agencies conducting rescue efforts."