According to the New York Times, The Guardian and CNN, early on March 26, local time, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, collapsed due to a ship collision, and as many as 20 people and 7 cars may have fallen into the water. Maryland has declared a state of emergency.
The picture comes from foreign social media
Baltimore Coast Guard Sergeant First Class Matthew West reportedly said the Coast Guard received a report of a crash on the bridge at 1:27 a.m. ET. The Singaporean-flagged cargo ship "Dali" crashed into the bridge.
According to the maritime data platform MarineTraffic, early on the 26th local time, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship of the same name stopped under the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The platform said the "Dali" departed Baltimore at 1 a.m. local time and headed for Colombo, Sri Lanka.
It is reported that the "Dali" ship is 948 feet (about 289 meters) long, the ship has a standard displacement of more than 90,000 tons and a full load displacement of more than 110,000 tons.
The person in charge of the shipping company to which the "Dali" belongs said that there were 22 crew members on board, including 2 captains, all of whom were Indian. Members of the company's U.S. team are on their way to the local area to investigate.
The Baltimore Fire Department said the bridge collapse caused by the ship strike could have left as many as 20 people and "at least seven vehicles" overboard. The Baltimore Fire Department received an alarm call around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a ship leaving the port from Baltimore had hit a pier, causing the bridge to collapse. There were multiple cars on the bridge deck at the time, including a "trailer-sized vehicle". The latest news says that two people have been rescued from the water, one of them seriously. A spokesperson for the Baltimore City Fire Department confirmed that the incident was a "mass casualty incident."
Picture from social media
After the bridge collapsed, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a "state of emergency" in Maryland. Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott said "this is an unimaginable tragedy" and that the city government is doing everything it can to get through it.
According to reports, the 1.6-mile (2.57 km) Francis Scott Key Bridge, with a total of four lanes, spans the Patapusco River and is an important link to Interstate 695 (Baltimore Outer Ring Road).
Location of the Francis Scott Key Bridge
The bridge was commissioned in 1977 and is named after Francis Scott Key, the lyricist of the American national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." When Fort McHenry was bombarded in 1814, Francis Scott Key was near the current location of the bridge, and when he saw the scene, he wrote the words "The Star-Spangled Banner Never Falls", which became the lyrics of the American national anthem.
Source: Observer.com