The Francis Scott Key Bridge along I-695 in Maryland collapsed into the Baltimore harbor early Tuesday morning following a “ship strike,” according to Maryland transportation officials.
A livestream of the bridge showed a cargo ship colliding with a support beam, causing the bridge to break and fall into the Patapsco River. Multiple vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse.
Emergency crews were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, said Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, around 3 a.m. Officials have described the incident as a mass casualty event, but there were no specific numbers of deceased reported.
“Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” Cartwright said, calling the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”
BREAKING NEWS
Maryland Keybridge collapsed after cargo ship collides with support beam pic.twitter.com/9IgvJyi46Y— Hayward Jablomi (@HaywerdJablomi) March 26, 2024
A Singapore-flagged cargo ship is believed to have struck the heavily-traveled Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland. The large vessel caught fire before sinking.
The Maryland Transportation Authority announced on social media that all lanes of the bridge are closed in both directions, with traffic being detoured. Subsequently, they urged drivers to avoid the I-695 southeast corridor and instead use I-95 or I-895.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. confirmed that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.
According to Cartwright, agencies received 911 calls around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a vessel traveling from Baltimore had struck the bridge, leading to its collapse.