At least 20 people are being sought after they fell into the water when the Francis Scott Key Bridge, in Baltimore, USA, collapsed due to the impact of a large ship. Authorities fear that the number of missing people is higher, as several cars fell into the river.
“We know there are up to 20 people in the Patapsco River right now, as well as several vehicles,” Kevin Cartwright of the Baltimore Fire Department told CNN television.
However, two people were rescued alive from the waters of the Patapsco River in Baltimore. According to the city’s fire chief, James Wallace, one of the people rescued was unharmed and refused treatment, while the other was taken to a hospital in serious condition.
The missing people are believed to be passengers in vehicles that were crossing the Francis Scott Key Bridge when a freighter collided with one of the central pillars, completely destroying it. One of the factors that worries authorities are the low temperatures (around 9 degrees), which can leave people who fall into the water at risk of hypothermia.
None of the cargo ship’s crew fell, according to the New York Times, which guarantees that those responsible are actively collaborating with the authorities to clarify what happened.
“All access lanes are closed in both directions due to an accident on the bridge. (…) Traffic is being diverted”, published the Transportation Authority of the state of Maryland, in X.
At around 1:30 am, a large vessel collided with the bridge, located in the city of Baltimore, in the eastern United States, caught fire before sinking, causing several vehicles traveling on the bridge to fall into the water, according to a video published on social network X (formerly Twitter).
This is the moment the ship hit the structure.
House Speaker Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Chief Johnny Olszewski Jr. said emergency personnel were responding and relief efforts were ongoing.
Relief agencies received the alert at 1:30 am local time, reporting that a vessel leaving Baltimore had hit a column on the bridge, causing it to collapse. At the time, there were several vehicles on the bridge, including one the size of a tractor-trailer.
“Our goal right now is to try to rescue and recover these people,” said Baltimore Fire Department communications director Kevin Cartwright, adding it was too early to know how many people were affected.
The accident was classified as a “developing mass casualty event.”
Cartwright said there appeared to be “some cargo or restraints hanging from the bridge,” creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency crews were operating with caution.
“This is a dire emergency,” he said.
Meanwhile, the US Secretary of Transportation says he has offered support to the Governor and Mayor of Baltimore and says that rescue efforts at the port “continue to progress.”
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.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) March 26, 2024
The Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977.