The bridge Francis Scott Key of Baltimorein the US state of Maryland, it collapsed in the night following a collision with a Singapore-flagged cargo ship. Two people were saved. The collision occurred around 1:30 in the morning (6:30 in Italy). One person died after hospitalizationMaryland’s transportation secretary said at a news conference. There are currently six missing.
The container ship had “lost propulsion” as it left port and alerted authorities that he was losing control. The ABC reports this citing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “The vessel had informed the Maryland Department of Transportation that it had lost control and that a collision with the bridge was possible,” the TV network said.
Rescue teams have determined that there are vehicles in the Patapsco River, but it is not yet clear how many there are, the city’s fire chief, James Wallace, said in a press conference, as reported by CNN. “Our sonar has detected submerged vehicles,” Wallace said: “We haven’t counted them yet.” Previously the US media had reported that at least seven vehicles had fallen into the river.
“From the first investigations, it appears to be a terrible accident, there are no indications of intentional acts”, confirmed Joe Biden. The federal government will cover the entire reconstruction costs, Biden promised, announcing that he will go to Baltimore as soon as possible.
The Secretary of Transportation of the State of Maryland confirmed that it was there at the time of the collapse a group of workers on the structure without specifying the number. The workers, he added, were carrying out repairs to the road surface when the freighter Dali hit a pylon causing the collapse of the bridge. There were also some vehicles on the bridge, apparently including a truck, which fell into the water and which were apparently identified by the firefighters’ sonars.
“This is an unconscionable tragedy… Our thoughts go out to those involved”: Baltimore Mayor Brendon Scott said.
There do not appear to be any injuries on board the cargo ship that crashed into the bridge, according to Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld on CNN. All roads to Baltimore were closed. I-695, which used the bridge to get motorists past the port and avoid the city center, was also closed.
Video Collision with a cargo ship, Baltimore bridge collapses
The dynamics – The Dali ship that caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore appears to have lost power and gone off course just before impacting one of the bridge’s pylons. In a video taken by security cameras, the freighter, which had numerous containers on board bound for Colombo in Sri Lanka, can also be seen emitting a column of dark smoke before impact. The power loss appears to have occurred at 01:24:32 local time for approximately 60 seconds. A minute later the ship emits black smoke. The lights went out again for a second time two minutes before impact. The Dali struck the bridge at 01:28:44, about a half-hour after leaving Baltimore Harbor, and the bridge collapsed four seconds later. A large slick of diesel fuel has been reported in the Baltimore River.
State of emergency declared
Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. “We have assembled a multi-agency team to rapidly deploy federal resources provided by the Biden Administration as we continue to connect with relief providers and assess and respond to this tragedy,” Moore said.
‘Event in the mass loss category’
Baltimore Fire Department spokesman Kevin Cartwright described the collapse of the Francis Scott-Key Bridge as being in the “mass casualty event” category. Cartright said his forces are now focusing on rescuing those in the water. The water in Baltimore Harbor is currently at 9 degrees Celsius according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The risk for those who fell into the water and survived is hypothermia.
Tajani: ‘Italy close to the United States’
“A prayer for the victims of the tragic accident that occurred on the Baltimore bridge. In the hope that the missing are well, I express on behalf of the Italian Government our closeness to the United States“: Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani wrote this on .
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