Cargo ship hits Baltimore’s Key Bridge, bringing it down. Rescuers are on the lookout for individuals in water

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BALTIMORE — A container ship rammed into a serious bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, inflicting it to snap and plunge into the river beneath. A number of autos fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers had been looking for survivors.

Two individuals had been rescued from the waters underneath the Francis Scott Key Bridge, one in severe situation, based on Baltimore Hearth Chief James Wallace. He mentioned authorities “could also be on the lookout for upwards of seven individuals” however mentioned that quantity may change. It was not clear if the 2 rescued had been included within the seven.

It was not instantly clear what induced the cargo ship to crash into the bridge lengthy earlier than the busy morning commute in what one official referred to as a “growing mass casualty occasion” in a serious American metropolis simply outdoors of Washington.

The ship crashed into one of many bridge’s helps, inflicting the construction to snap and buckle at a number of factors and tumble into the water in a matter of seconds — a stunning spectacle that was captured on video and posted on social media. The vessel caught hearth, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.

“By no means would you assume that you’d see, bodily see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It seemed like one thing out of an motion film,” mentioned Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy.”

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By no means would you assume that you’d see, bodily see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It seemed like one thing out of an motion film.

–Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott

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Sonar has indicated that there are autos within the water, the place the temperature was about 47 levels Fahrenheit within the early hours of Tuesday, based on a buoy that collects information for the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Hearth Division, instructed The Related Press that a number of autos had been on the bridge on the time of the collapse, together with one the dimensions of a tractor-trailer truck. The bridge got here down in the course of night time when site visitors could be lighter than throughout the day when 1000’s of automobiles traverse the span.

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Cartwright referred to as the collapse a “growing mass casualty occasion,” although he did not know on the time how many individuals had been affected.

He added that some cargo gave the impression to be dangling from the bridge, which spans the Patapsco River on the entrance to a busy harbor. The river results in the Port of Baltimore, a serious hub for transport on the East Coast. Opened in 1977, the bridge is known as for the author of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and mentioned he was working to get federal sources deployed. The FBI was additionally on the scene.

Synergy Marine Group — which owns and manages the ship referred to as the Dali — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. whereas two pilots had been in management. It mentioned all crew members, together with the pilots, had been accounted for and there are not any studies of any accidents.

The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying underneath a Singapore flag, based on information from Marine Visitors. The container ship is about 985 ft lengthy and about 157 ft large, based on the web site.

In 2001, a freight practice carrying hazardous supplies derailed in a tunnel in downtown Baltimore and caught hearth, spewing black smoke into surrounding neighborhoods and forcing officers to briefly shut all main roads into town.

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