US Edition
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.
He said two people had been rescued from the river. One refused medical help, and the other was taken to hospital in a “very serious” condition.
Mr Wallace added that sonar had “detected the presence of vehicles submerged in the water” after the bridge collapsed.
Spanning 1.6 miles, the Francis Scott Key Bridge is the third longest continuous truss bridge in the world. Opened in 1977, it is named after Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words to The Star-Spangled Banner.
‘Unthinkable tragedy’
Brandon Scott, the city’s mayor, described what happened as an “unthinkable tragedy” and said: “We have to be thinking about the families and people impacted, folks who we have to try to find.
“This is what our focus should be on right now. We’re going to continue to work in partnership with every part of government to do everything we can to get us through the other side of this tragedy.”
Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, described the situation as “a dire emergency”. He said it was a “developing mass casualty event”, but the exact numbers of dead or injured are not known.
Social media videos showed that a number of cars had been on the bridge at the time of the collapse.
Mr Cartwright told the Baltimore Sun: “We have reason to believe that there were vehicles and possibly a tractor-trailer that went into the water.”
Low temperatures and poor visibility have caused problems for firefighters and members of the US Coast Guard involved in the rescue.
Mr Cartwright told CNN: “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 [-1C] where I am. It could be slightly lower than that, and I’m sure that the water temperature is even colder. That can pose a concern and risk for our divers.”
A strong tide also threatens to disrupt the operation by moving the debris from the site of the bridge collapse. A coastal flood warning was issued on Tuesday morning for Anne Arundel County, which covers the land on the south side of the bridge.
Wes Moore, the Maryland governor, declared a state of emergency after the bridge collapse. Pete Buttigieg, the US transportation secretary, has offered federal support to Baltimore’s mayor and Maryland’s governor.
How did the ship crash into the bridge?
A livestream from a YouTube channel showed a ship turning before appearing to hit one of the bridge’s two central pylons at 1.28am.
The structure crashed into the water within about 20 seconds. Parts of it appeared to land on the bow of the vessel, identified as the Singapore-flagged Dali container ship.
Richard Worley, the Baltimore police chief, said there was no indication that the crash had happened on purpose, with the ship moving at The ship was moving at eight knots (9mph).
The vessel experienced a loss of power before ramming the bridge. A mayday call was issued shortly before the crash.
The call, alerting authorities to the ship’s power outage, allowed officials to rush to limit the number of cars travelling over the bridge, Governor Moore told reporters. “These people are heroes. They saved lives last night,” he said.
Who owns and operates the ship?
The Dali was chartered by the shipping company Maersk at the time of the accident, the Danish firm said.
“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” it said.
The vessel is owned by Singapore’s Grace Ocean Pte and managed by Synergy Marine Group, according to LSEG data.
Synergy Marine Group released a statement saying all crew members, including two pilots, were accounted for and there were no injuries on the ship. Police said the crew were still on board.
The Dali left Baltimore at 1am and was setting out on a 27-day journey to Colombo, Sri Lanka.