According to the police, the first emergency calls were received at 1:35 a.m. According to the police and fire department, large parts of the bridge collapsed. Several vehicles with their occupants fell into the depths.
According to the fire department, two people have now been rescued from the ice-cold water. One person was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said at a news conference. The second person was uninjured. Initially there was talk of up to 20 missing people. The search for at least seven women and men is currently continuing under high pressure. The water temperature was around nine degrees Celsius.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. This makes it possible for the government of US President Joe Biden to carry out relief measures in nearby Washington. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott spoke of an “unbelievable tragedy” and terrible images “like something out of an action movie.” The main thing now must be to find the missing people and to support those affected and their families, he said at a press conference. Bridge workers are also said to have had accidents.
No evidence of terrorism
According to the authorities, there is absolutely no evidence of terrorism. The Marine Traffic website showed that the Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” had come to a stop under the bridge. Video footage on online services showed the spectacular collapse of the illuminated bridge into the Patapsco River. First the rammed bridge pillar collapses, then the entire steel structure warps in a wave movement and parts of it fall into the river.
“We believe there may be up to 20 people and several vehicles in the Patapsco River,” said firefighter Kevin Cartwright on CNN. According to him, a semi-trailer was among the vehicles involved in the accident. The rescue work is underway. In addition to the fire department, rescue workers from the US Coast Guard and a diving team are on duty to rescue any survivors from the river.
No injuries on the ship
According to the owners, the crew of the ship that rammed one of the support pillars was fine. There were no injuries on the ship, it said in a statement available to the New York Times on Tuesday morning (local time). The owners confirmed the incident. The cause of the collision still needs to be determined.
According to data from the provider LSEG, the container ship is the “Dali”, which sails under the Singapore flag. She had been chartered by the shipping company Maersk and was scheduled to leave the port of Baltimore for Colombo on Tuesday morning. She was scheduled to arrive there on April 22nd. “We are appalled by what happened in Baltimore,” said Maersk. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected.” The ship is said to be almost 290 meters long.
The 2.6 kilometer long, four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge spanned the Patapsco River as part of Interstate 695 southwest of downtown Baltimore. It opened in 1977 in the industrial and port city on the US East Coast and is used by more than eleven million vehicles every year.
Baltimore is the busiest U.S. port for automobile transportation. According to the Maryland government, almost 850,000 cars and light trucks were handled there in 2023. Automakers that handle imports and exports through Baltimore include Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen. More than 40 ships had to stay in port after the collapse. At least 30 ships were still on their way to Baltimore.
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