Baltimore Bridge collapses: mass casualties feared

WASHINGTON: Rescue crews are searching for at least seven people in the Patapsco River after multiple vehicles fell into the water when the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed overnight, a Baltimore City Fire Department spokesperson told the Associated Press.

The bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning after it was struck by a large ship, according to video obtained by CNN.

Local agencies received 911 calls at around 1:30 a.m. ET reporting that a ship, traveling outbound from Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department told AP.

“This is a dire emergency,” he said. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”

All traffic is being detoured, said Maryland Transportation Authority, and it’s unclear if anyone was injured. CNN has reached out to the Baltimore City Fire Department for additional information.

Cartwright called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”

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He said it appears there are “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge,” making conditions unsafe and unstable for emergency responders who are operating cautiously.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a social media post around 3 a.m. that he was en route to the “incident” at the bridge. “Emergency personnel are on scene, and efforts are underway,” he added.

Video of the collision shows a towering boat headed directly toward one of the bridge’s support columns before colliding with it, sending a massive stretch of the bridge crashing into the water below in mere seconds. The impact immediately triggered the collapse of adjacent portions of the bridge.

The crash sent large plumes of smoke and fire into the air and part of the bridge appeared to collapse over the front of the boat, video footage showed. Dark smoke continued to rise into the air for several minutes.

The 1.6-mile, 4-lane bridge extends over the Patapsco River and serves as the outermost crossing of the Baltimore harbor and an essential link of Interstate-695, or the Baltimore Beltway.