Baltimore bridge collapse: what we know about the bridge, ship and port
A bridge in the US city of Baltimore has snapped and collapsed after a ship collided with one of its support columns. Rescuers are searching the water for survivors and the state’s governor has declared a state of emergency.
Here is what we know about the bridge, the ship and the port.
The bridge
Baltimore’s 1.6-mile (2.57km) Francis Scott Key Bridge was built out of steel and opened in 1977. With four lanes, the bridge is part of Interstate 695 and served as a major route along the ring road that encircles the city in the US state of Maryland.
It is named after the author of the American national anthem, The StarSpangled Banner.
Live video posted on YouTube showed the ship ploughing into the bridge in darkness, with its main section collapsing into the Patapsco River below.
Several vehicles fell into the water, and rescuers were searching for at least seven people.
The ship
Ship-tracking data showed a Singapore-flagged
container ship, the Dali, at the location of the bridge where the accident occurred at about 1.30am ET (0500 GMT) on Tuesday.
Calls to the emergency services reported the vessel had been travelling outbound from Baltimore.
The Dali, a 290-metre (948ft) cargo vessel, left Baltimore at 1am and was headed for the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, according to the maritime data platform MarineTraffic. The shipping company Maersk said it chartered the vessel.
Reuters cited the manager of the ship, Synergy Marine Group, as saying the crew, including the two pilots, had been accounted for and there were no reports of injuries onboard.
The port
The harbour is one of the busiest in the country and an important hub for shipping on the US east coast, especially in transporting road vehicles. It also handles farming, construction machinery and coal, according to a Maryland government website.
Port traffic was suspended until further notice following the bridge collapse.