Baltimore bridge collapses after hit by ship
BALTIMORE, Maryland — A container ship smashed into a fourlane bridge in the US port of Baltimore in darkness on Tuesday, causing it to collapse and sending cars and people plunging into the river below.
Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one in a “very serious condition”, and were searching for more in the Patapsco River after huge spans of the Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the water.
The ship “lost propulsion” as it was leaving port, and the crew on board notified Maryland officials they had lost control of the vessel, ABC News reported, citing an unclassified US intelligence report.
Baltimore officials said at least seven vehicles plunged into the water but could not give an exact figure.
Kevin Cartwright, the spokesperson for Baltimore City Fire Department, earlier told Reuters that as many as 20 people could be in the river along with “numerous vehicles, and possibly a tractor-trailer or a vehicle as large as a tractortrailer, (that) went into the river”.
“This is a mass-casualty, multiagency event,” he said. “This operation is going to extend for many days.”
A live video posted on YouTube showed the ship plowing into the bridge in darkness. The headlights of vehicles could be seen on the bridge before crashing into the water and the ship catching fire.
At least 10 commercial ships that were sailing to the port of Baltimore have dropped anchor in waters nearby, data from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic showed on Tuesday.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency to quickly deploy federal resources to deal with the emergency. The FBI in Baltimore said on X its personnel was “on scene”.
At a news conference, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said there was no indication of terrorism.
It was not immediately clear if any other vessels had been damaged or whether operations had halted to and from the port, shipping and insurance sources said.
The ship was identified by LSEG ship tracking data as a Singaporeflagged container ship, which was chartered by shipping company Maersk at the time of the incident, the Danish company said.
“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” Maersk said in a statement.
Baltimore Port’s private and public terminals handled 847,158 autos and light trucks in 2023, the most of any US port.
The bridge, named after Francis Scott Key, author of The Star-Spangled Banner, opened in 1977.
In 2007, the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 13 and injuring more than 140.