According to the fire department, two people have now been rescued from the ice-cold water. One person was taken to a hospital in serious condition, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said at a news conference.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. According to the authorities, there is absolutely no evidence of terrorism. On online service X, the Maryland Department of Transportation confirmed the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which crossed the Patapsco River in the southeast of the city. Traffic will be redirected. The Marine Traffic website showed that the Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” had come to a stop under the bridge. According to current information, those responsible assume that at least seven vehicles crashed.
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.
But the temperatures are cause for great concern, and not just with regard to those who died, Cartwright told CNN. The outside temperature feels like minus one degree Celsius or less, the water is certainly colder, explained Cartwright. “This can be a concern and risk to our divers.”
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. It had been chartered by the shipping company Maersk and was scheduled to leave the port of Baltimore for Colombo early Tuesday morning. She was scheduled to arrive there on April 22nd. “We are appalled by what happened in Baltimore,” Maersk said in a statement. “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 Mayor Brandon Scoot and Baltimore County Chief Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. were informed of the accident and announced the beginning of rescue efforts. “Please pray for those affected,” Olszewski wrote on X. Scott announced a visit to the scene of the accident.
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.