Six missing people presumed dead as Biden vows to ‘move heaven and earth’ to rebuild bridge

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A harbour bridge in Baltimore has collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship, sending up to 20 people into the water.

Emergency services, including specialist divers, are trying to rescue victims from the freezing Patapsco River following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

James Wallace, the Baltimore fire chief, said rescue workers were looking for at least seven people.

At a media briefing in Baltimore at 6.30am local time on Tuesday, police said workers and pedestrians had been on the bridge at the time of the crash.

Read the full story from Raoul Simons here.

The 22-strong crew of the Dali container ship first realised something was horribly wrong at 1.24am on Tuesday morning when they lost power while sailing along the Patapsco River.

The vessel was just 30 minutes into a 27-day journey from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, carrying cargo for the shipping giant Maersk and sailing under the Singapore flag.

But as it approached the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the lights went out. The crew, helmed by two local “pilots” trained to traverse the bay, contacted the coastguard immediately.

Read the full story here from Tony Diver, our US Editor.

The ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday morning was previously detained in Antwerp after a collision.

Dali, a Singapore-flagged container ship, was leaving the Belgian port in 2016 when its bow swung around, causing its stern to scrape along the quay.

Nobody was injured in the incident and the vessel did not leak any fuel, but it was nevertheless detained by the authorities, according to the maritime incident archive Shipwrecklog.

A mayday alert issued by the crew of the cargo ship shortly before it crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge “saved lives”, Maryland Governor Wes Moore said.

Mr Moore also paid tribute to the officials who rushed to close the bridge to traffic before the 112,000-ton vessel, which suffered a power failure, plunged into the structure early on Tuesday morning.

Six construction workers who were repairing potholes on the bridge are unaccounted for. Authorities have detected several vehicles, including a cement lorry, on the bottom of the Patapsco River.

“I’m thankful for the folks who, once the warning came up... that there was a mayday, who literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge, these people are heroes -- they saved lives,” Mr Moore said.

ABC News, citing US intelligence, reported earlier today the ship’s crew alerted Maryland officials when they “lost propulsion” soon after leaving port, warning they could collide with the bridge.

Joe Biden continued: “To the people of Baltimore. I want to say we’re with, we’re going to stay with you as long as it takes.

“Like the Governor [Wes Moore] said, you’re Maryland tough, you’re Baltimore strong, and we’re going to get through this together. And I promise we’re not leaving.

“Here’s what’s happening now. Search and rescue operations are our top priority. 

“Ship traffic in the port of Baltimore has been suspended until further notice and we’ll need to clear that channel before the ship traffic can resume.”

The US President said the federal government would pay for the cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Joe Biden pledged to “move heaven and earth” to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

He continued: “We’re going get it up and running again as soon as possible --15,000 jobs depend on that port. 

“And we’re going do everything we can to protect those jobs, and help those workers.”

Joe Biden said: “Officials at the scene estimate eight people were unaccounted for... that number might change, two have been rescued, one without injury, one in critical condition. 

“And the search and rescue operations continues for all those remaining as we speak.” 

He pledged to “rebuild that port together” using federal resources and downplayed any suggestion that the incident was intentional, calling it a “terrible accident”.

Joe Biden is now addressing the Baltimore bridge collapse at a press conference.

US media reports that Joe Biden is expected to speak about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse soon. Keep following the live blog for all the updates as they come in.

Six people are unaccounted for after Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early on Tuesday morning, according to city officials.

A group of construction workers were repairing potholes on the bridge when Dali, a Singapore-flagged container ship, crashed into it, causing the structure to crumple into the Patapsco River.

Paul Wiedefeld, the Maryland transportation secretary, told a press conference that two of the individuals have been rescued by emergency services. One of them is in a “very serious condition” and has been taken to hospital, while the other refused medical care.

Dive teams have been deployed and the coast guard is searching for survivors of the incident. Authorities say they have detected vehicles underwater using sonar.

Wes Moore, the governor of Maryland, said he was praying for the “construction workers who were on the Key Bridge” and for “everyone who has been touched by this tragedy”.

The crew of the ship that crashed into the Baltimore bridge notified authorities they had a “power issue” after leaving port, Wes Moore, the Maryland governor, said. 

At another point in the press conference, he clarified that the crew had issued a “mayday” before the collision.

“I’m thankful for the folks who, once the warning came up... that there was a mayday, who literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge, these people are heroes -- they saved lives,” he said.

Six construction workers who were on the bridge are unaccounted for, city officials told a press conference. Two individuals, who were among the group, have been rescued and one has been taken to hospital.

“Our exclusive focus is on saving lives,” Wes Moore, the governor of Maryland, added.

The workers who were on the bridge when it collapsed were repairing potholes rather than dealing with a structural issue, city officials told a press conference.

Wes Moore, the governor of Maryland, told a press conference that a rescue operation is ongoing and that he will “update the public” when they have more news.

“To the people of Baltimore... and I recognise that many of us are hurting right now, I recognise that many of us are scared right now,” he said.

“We are still investigating what happened but we are quickly gathering details... We haven’t seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack.”

He added that he was praying for the construction workers who were on the bridge when it collapsed, and promised: “Maryland, we will get through this.”

All crew members from the container ship have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries, according to its management company.

Synergy Group also said the incident had not caused any pollution, after city authorities reported there had been “odours of diesel fuel” and refused to rule out an oil leak.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge would never have been designed to withstand a large cargo vessel crashing into it, a structural engineering expert said, adding that it did not show any “obvious structural deficiencies”.

“The video doesn’t show any obvious structural deficiencies with the bridge, but it will not have been designed to survive a head-on collision with such a large vessel,” Dr Andrew Barr, of the University of Sheffield, said.

“Bridges in shipping lanes are sometimes designed with strong, stout piers, or additional protective structures around the piers to prevent ships from coming into contact with the bridge structure. 

“It doesn’t appear that the Key Bridge had either of these features, although it is also very likely that the size and design of the vessels passing under the bridge has changed considerably since it was completed in 1977.”

Authorities have sent out dive teams to search the wreckage for survivors, Johnny Olszewski, the Baltimore county executive, said.

“With the sun coming up, we’re now finally able to go in and begin dive operations,” he told CNN. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that before.”

Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security, said there are “no indications that this was an intentional act” and that he was “assessing the impacts to the Port of Baltimore”.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the missing and injured,” he added.

Vehicles have been detected under water after a bridge collapsed in Baltimore, emergency services said, with rescuers searching for at least seven people.

Up to 20 people are thought to be in the river after the bridge was struck by a cargo ship in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

James Wallace, the Baltimore Fire Chief, signalled that number was likely to increase as he revealed that they had rescued one person in a “very serious condition”.

He told a press conference: “We may be looking for upwards of seven individuals - that’s the latest information we have.

“However, what I will say is, is the information that I’m giving you right now is as of right now... this is a very large incident, it involves a very large footprint.

“Multiple agencies are operating, therefore information is subject to change as we get more intel and as our crews work the morning.”

Brandon Scott, the Baltimore mayor, called the event an “unthinkable tragedy” and said he was praying for rescuers and victims.

Jen Woof, a Baltimore resident, said her son crossed the Key Bridge just three minutes before it collapsed on Monday night, and woke her to tell her about the disaster.

“He got over the bridge just three minutes before the bridge collapsed,” she told The Telegraph.

“He was actually almost to our house when his girlfriend started texting him to ask if he was okay. He thought she was texting because they were arguing, and she said the bridge had collapsed.

“He came into my house frantically panicking and yelling for me, and showing me a video of his friends that they took down here at Fort Armistead of the bridge collapse.”

The container ship “Dali”, which crashed into the Baltimore Key Bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning, “lost propulsion” as it was leaving port, ABC News reports.

It cites an unclassified US intelligence report stating that the vessel warned Maryland officials they had lost control after leaving port and that a collision was possible.

“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation [MDOT] that they had lost control of the vessel and a collision with the bridge was possible,” it said. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”

A structural engineering expert believes an investigation will seek to establish why the cargo ship hit the bridge’s critical main pier “when there were no other vessels around”.

Dr Marina Bock, of Aston University, said: “This type of bridge is not designed to redistribute loads in the event of a main pier collapsing and therefore videos show there is a progressive collapse of the bridge.

“Maybe if the vessel had hit a small section of the suspended deck the bridge would have been able to survive the collision but not a main pier.

“I am assuming the first line of investigation will be to understand why the vessel could not avoid the pier when there were no other vessels around.”

The White House said there is no evidence of  “nefarious intent” after a cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. 

Joe Biden, the US president, has been briefed on the rescue operation and will receive updates throughout the day.

People were working on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it was destroyed early this morning, the Maryland state transportation secretary said.

“We know there were individuals on the bridge at the time of the collapse, working on the bridge, contractors for us,” Paul Wiedefeld told a news conference.

They were “basically doing some concrete deck repair”, he added. The transport authority is speaking to those who were believed to be on the bridge at the time of its collapse.

Wes Moore, the governor of Maryland, has just arrived at the scene of the bridge. His car was spotted travelling through the police checkpoint on the south side of the Patapsco River.

Hours after cars plunged into the freezing water, the “odds are not looking good” for the victims of the Key Bridge tragedy, a senior figure involved in the recovery operation told The Telegraph.

“It’s a 50ft shipping channel, so the water is deep, and there’s a tide,” the source said, adding that the authorities had not been able to deploy divers until the sun came up.

The emergency services are expecting to pivot the search and rescue operation in the Patapsco River to a recovery effort to bring up the bodies of those who have died.

The sailors on the container ship, including a local pilot deployed to see it through the bridge this morning, remain on board.

Helicopters buzz overhead and a small group of local news reporters have gathered close to the bank of the Patapsco River, where the Key Bridge collapsed this morning.

Police have closed all access roads to the area around the bridge to allow the emergency services to continue the search and rescue operation to pull people from the water.

One officer at the scene said a media area may be established nearer to the bridge, but for now the area is on lockdown.

A key consideration for the authorities is the tide, which threatens to disrupt the operation by moving the debris from the site of the bridge collapse.

A coastal flood warning has been issued for Anne Arundel County this morning, which covers the land on the south side of the Key Bridge. 

Brandon Scott has said footage of a cargo ship colliding with the bridge was like “something out of an action movie” but has put pressure on broadcasters not to show it.

“It was something out of an action movie, something you never think you would see and being right now, looking at it, it’s even more surreal,” he told CNN.

“It just makes you think about, again, those families, those individuals that were on that bridge, those folks that were even on that vessel even more.

“I’m going to be the first to ask that CNN and everyone else stops showing the video. No one needs to see a possibility of their family member being severely injured... over and over and over again because it’s just traumatising our community.”

Brandon Scott, the mayor of Baltimore, has said there are “many more” people that need to be rescued find after two people were pulled out of the water this morning.

“One victim refused care and the other one is in a very serious condition... and we are praying for that individual to hopefully come out on the other side,” he told CNN.

“We are grateful that we were able to rescue them but there are many more that we have to find.”

In 1980 a freight ship struck the support structure of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay in Florida, killing thirty-five people in the process.

“When the bridge was rebuilt they included very large vessel impact devices included,” Ian Firth, a former president of the Institution of Structural Engineers, said.

“Since that time it has been fairly normal to put in what we call dolphins, which are basically fenders that are designed so that the ship hits them and not the bridge.”

The Francis Scott Key Bridge appears to have had some fenders built onto it, but these were unable to prevent the disaster.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed because its design is out of date, according to an experienced structural engineer .

Such accidents are “thankfully very rare”, Ian Firth told the Telegraph.

Bridges built before 1980 are vulnerable to such accidents as they lack robust fenders that can ward off boats that veer off course.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge was built in the early 1970s, before a tragedy in Florida caused bridge builders to buttress bridges against such collisions.

“Nowadays we understand the risks much better than we once did,” Mr Firth said.

It’s almost 7am here in Baltimore, and residents are waking to the news of the disaster that plunged up to 15 cars into the water this morning.

James Wallace, the Baltimore Fire Chief, said just now that the light will enable his search and rescue operation to deploy more people and equipment, and that teams of divers may be able to see victims that were missed in the first sweep this morning.

Another major consideration is whether the ship that struck the bridge this morning is leaking fuel into the water. In the dark, it is difficult to tell. Any any diesel on the water will make this operation even more difficult.

For now, the authorities are still working on search and rescue, believing lives can be saved. But hours after the bridge collapsed, the authorities acknowledge this will soon become a salvage operation. 

Emergency services “may be looking for upwards for upwards of seven individuals - that’s the latest information we have,” James Wallace said.

“However, what I will say is, is the information that I’m giving you right now is as of right now... this is a very large incident, it involves a very large footprint.

“Multiple agencies are operating, therefore information is subject to chance as we get more intel and as our crews work the morning.”

James Wallace, the Baltimore Fire Chief, revealed that their sonar has “detected the presences of vehicles submerged in the water” after the bridge collapsed.

Brandon Scott, the Baltimore mayor, called the event an “unthinkable tragedy”. 

He added: “We have to first and foremost, pray for all of those who are impacted - those families - and pray for our first responders.”

James Wallace, the Baltimore Fire Chief, said emergency services were able to remove two people from the water, one of whom was in a “very serious condition”.

He continued: “One individual refused service and refused transport essentially that person was not injured.

“However, there was another individual that’s been transported to a local trauma centre that is in very serious condition.”

The Dali container vessel that collided on Tuesday with a bridge in Baltimore was chartered by shipping company Maersk at the time of the accident, the Danish company has said.

“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” Maersk said.

The Dali was set to depart Baltimore early on Tuesday and arrive at Colombo on April 22, according to a schedule on Maersk’s website.

The vessel is owned by Singapore’s Grace Ocean Pte and managed by Synergy Marine Group, according to LSEG data.

Wes Moore, the Maryland governor, has declared a state of emergency over the bridge collapse.

Rescue workers are still searching for up to 20 people who are believed to have fallen into the water.

Kevin Cartwright, a Baltimore City Fire Department spokesman, earlier said the operation “is going to extend for many days”.

Pete Buttigieg, the US transportation secretary, has offered federal support to Baltimore’s mayor and Maryland’s governor.

He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “I’ve spoken with Gov. Moore and Mayor Scott to offer USDOT’s support following the vessel strike and collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge.”

“Rescue efforts remain underway and drivers in the Baltimore area should follow local responder guidance on detours and response.”

David Simon, the former journalist turned screenwriter behind The Wire, which was set in Baltimore and featured the bridge, has reacted to the news of its collapse this morning.

Low temperatures and poor visibility at the site of the bridge collapse “pose a concern” for rescue workers, who are searching for at least 20 people in the water.

Kevin Cartwright, a Baltimore City Fire Department spokesman, said his firefighters were working with the US Coast Guard around the port, where temperatures have fallen to -1°C.

He told CNN: “This happened at 1.30am with limited visibility so we are working aggressively, considering the environmental temperatures as well as the water temperatures to try and rescue and perhaps recover individuals.”

“It feels like at least about 30 degrees [-1°C] where I am. It could be slightly lower than that. And I’m sure that the water temperature is even colder... And that can pose a concern and risk for our divers.”

Volunteer firefighters from Harford County, which lies to the north-east of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, are “assisting the Unified Command at the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse”.

A swift water team and a special operations team are among those assisting, the volunteer firefighters said on Twitter.

Named after the writer of the US national anthem, the Francis Scott Key Bridge was opened in 1977.

Spanning 1.6 miles, it is the third longest continuous truss bridge in the world.

It took five years to build at an estimated cost of $110 million.

The bridge features as a location for a storyline from The Wire, the Baltimore-based TV crime drama, and in the 1979 Al Pacino movie, And Justice For All. 

Synergy Marine Group, which operates the Dali, has released a statement saying all crew members, including two pilots on board, were accounted for and there were no injuries on the ship.

The statement confirmed that the vessel had collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge at around 1.30am local time.

The cause of the collision has yet to be determined, and the owners and the vessel’s managers are cooperating with the authorities, according to the statement.

Authorities have said the ship was called Dali and was headed through Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, as its final destination.

The ship was flying under a Singapore flag, WTOP radio station reported, citing petty officer Matthew West from the Coast Guard in Baltimore.

Kevin Cartwright, of Baltimore Fire Department, told the Baltimore Sun: “We have reason to believe that there were vehicles and possibly a tractor-trailer that went into the water.”

He added that “the entire bridge” had collapsed.

Up to 20 people went into Patapsco River after the Baltimore bridge collapse, according to the Baltimore City Fire Department communications chief.

A livestream of the bridge from a YouTube channel shows the ship turning before appearing to hit one of the bridge’s two central pylons at 1.28am. 

A large section of the bridge then collapsed into the water within about 20 seconds. Parts of the bridge appeared to land on the bow of the cargo ship. 

The video is from a camera operated by Bay Area Mechanical Services, according to the YouTube channel carrying the livestream, StreamTime Live.

Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, said in an update to the Associated Press at 3am (7am UK time): “This is a dire emergency.”

He added that it appears that there are “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge”, which are creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and, therefore, emergency responders are operating cautiously as a result.

The Baltimore City Fire Department told CBS that it was unclear how many vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collision but a spokesman said “there was surely a large tractor-trailer” on it.

The spokesman added: “There are at least seven people. The dive and rescue team has arrived on scene to locate the individuals.”

Johnny Olszewski Jr., a Baltimore County executive, said on social media: “Rescue efforts are underway. Please pray for those impacted.” 

Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, said it was too early to know how many people were on the bridge but called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event”.

He said rescue workers were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” Mr Cartwright said.

Brandon Scott, the mayor of Baltimore City, posted on X, formerly Twitter: “I’m aware of and en route to the incident at the Key Bridge.”

Andrew Doyle, a fire boat operator, added: “A container ship has struck the Key Bridge in Baltimore. Part of the bridge has collapsed. Multiple fire and police boats are on the way.”

Multiple videos shared on social media show a large cargo ship ramming into one of the bridge’s support pillars, causing a large section to crash into the Patapsco River. 

A number of cars are shown in the videos to have been driving across the bridge at the time.

The bridge, which was opened in 1977, is named after Francis Scott Key, the author of the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.

A US Coast Guard spokesman told the New York Times that a Singapore-flagged cargo ship, the Dali, had hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge at 1.27am Eastern time. The Dali is 948-feet long, he said.

MarineTraffic, a maritime data platform, showed a Singapore-flagged container ship of the same name stopped directly under the bridge early Tuesday. 

The Dali left Baltimore at 1am and was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to the site.

Chief Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for the Baltimore City Fire Department, told the BBC that “as many as seven individuals and several vehicles” have fallen into the river.

He added that the bridge had been struck by “a large vessel” causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River.

There is now an ongoing multi-agency rescue operation being led by the fire department, collaborating with the US Coastguard and other Maryland agencies.

Footage shared online has shown the moment the bridge collapsed.

It is not currently known whether there are any casualties.

We’re bringing you the latest updates after a bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland.