Horror In Baltimore As Major Bridge Collapses After Collision

The Francis Scott Key Bridge on Interstate 695 in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday after being struck by a ship, causing a number of vehicles to plunge into the Patapsco River below.

Two people have been rescued from the water, said James Wallace, fire chief of Baltimore City Fire Department, at a morning press conference. One person was uninjured and refused treatment while the other was transported to a local trauma center and is in “very serious condition.”

Footage shared on social media showed the moment of the collapse, just before 1:30 a.m. local time:

The situation is “a mass casualty multi agency incident,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications of the Baltimore City Fire Department, told CNN.

Wallace said rescuers are looking for “upwards of seven” people in the freezing water, and that sonar detected the presence of submerged vehicles. The temperature at the port was around 30 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of the incident.

“This is an unthinkable tragedy,” Mayor Brandon Scott said. “We have to first and foremost pray for all of those who are impacted.”

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he’s spoken with Gov. Wes Moore and Mayor Scott to offer support following the collapse.

The BBC reported that the Singapore-flagged container ship Dali struck the bridge, but other details were not yet clear. The ship’s manager, Synergy Marine Corp., told Reuters that all of its crew members have been accounted for.

The 1.6-mile bridge, which opened in 1977, is named for the author of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Key was near the current location of the bridge as he watched the American flag flying from nearby Fort McHenry during a British bombardment in the War of 1812, inspiring the poem that became the