Video: Famed Francis Scott Key Bridge In US’ Baltimore Collapses After Ship Collision, State of Emergency Declared

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after a large boat collided with it in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Following the collision, multiple vehicles fell into the water. The authorities said they are trying to rescue at least twenty people.

The large vessel was seen crashing into the bridge. It caught fire before sinking and led multiple vehicles to fall into the Patapsco River, according to footage going viral on social media site X.

Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, said the search is one for at least twenty people who are believed to be in the water. Cartwright said that the agencies received 911 calls around 1:30am (local time) where they said a vessel travelling outbound from Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge, causing it to collapse. Multiple vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer.

“Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” Cartwright was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. He termed the collapse a “developing mass casualty event”.

“This is a dire emergency,” he said. “Some cargo or retainers (are) hanging from the bridge,” he further added citing why emergency responders are operating cautiously as there are unsafe and unstable conditions.

Ship monitoring website MarineTraffic showed a Singapore-flagged container ship called the Dali stopped under the bridge early Tuesday.

“All lanes closed in both directions for the incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.

Statement by Ship Company on Collision

All crew members, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries. There has also been no pollution, the owners of the Singapore-flagged vessel said in a statement.

Whilst the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the ‘DALI’ has now mobilised its Qualified Individual Incident response service. The US Coast Guard and local officials have been notified, and the owners and managers are fully cooperating with Federal and State government agencies under an approved plan, the statement added.

Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.

The governor of Maryland declared a state of emergency early Tuesday after a major bridge in the city of Baltimore collapsed, sending up to 20 people into the harbor below.

“I have declared a State of Emergency here in Maryland and we are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration,” Governor Wes Moore posted on X, formerly Twitter.

A police spokesperson from the Baltimore Police Department told NBC News that people were possibly in the river.

“I can confirm at 1:35 a.m., Baltimore City police were notified of a partial bridge collapse, with workers possibly in the water, at the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Detective Niki Fennoy said in a statement.

Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977.