2024-03-26 19:31:32
Rescue teams are searching for at least seven people after the collapse of the “Francis Scott Key” bridge over the Patapsco River in the American city of Baltimore, Maryland, BTA reported, referring to world agencies.
The bridge collapsed after a cargo ship hit one of its pylons last night.
Two people were pulled from the water, one of them in serious condition, said Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace. The second person rescued was pulled out of the water unharmed.
No crew members of the vessel that struck the bridge were injured, the operating company said. The vessel was sailing under the Singaporean flag. The operating company is Synergy Marine Group. Its representatives said that the cause of the collision of the vessel with the pylon of the bridge, which led to its collapse, has not yet been determined. The crew and the operating company of the vessel are cooperating fully with the investigating authorities.
There is no indication that the incident was an act of terrorism, said Baltimore Police Chief Richard Worley. FBI agents also arrived at the scene of the incident.
Rescue teams have detected cars submerged in the water under the collapsed bridge using sonar, Wallace said. He said at this stage he could not say how many cars were under the water.
At least 10 commercial ships headed to pass under the collapsed bridge have now dropped anchor nearby, Reuters reported, citing specialist ship traffic tracking sites.
The cargo ship that hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was a container ship named the Dally. It was on a course from Baltimore, a busy US port, to Colombo in Sri Lanka.
Footage shared by the media and on social networks shows the ship hitting one of the bridge’s pylons in the middle of the night. As a result of the incident, there was also a fire on the ship.
The bridge that collapsed was for vehicular traffic. The water in which the cars fell was freezing cold. This morning’s data shows her temperature was around 8 degrees Celsius.
At the time of the ship’s impact with the bridge pylon, several vehicles were traveling on the bridge, including a truck with a trailer.
The bridge was opened in 1977 and is named after the writer and jurist Francis Scott Key.
Because of the incident, Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency.