A massive cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a major bridge in the Baltimore harbor, early Tuesday morning, leading to a near-total collapse of the span and sending vehicles plunging into the frigid water below.
A search-and-rescue effort is underway, with divers and emergency personnel desperately combing the area for people believed to have fallen from the collapsing bridge, officials said. At least six people are unaccounted for, officials said.
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Mar 26, 10:46 AM
What to know about the cargo ship
The Singapore-flagged cargo ship, Dali, spans a length of 984 feet and a width of 157 feet, a listing showed. It holds 22 crew members, all of whom are based in India.
The ship departed from the Port of Baltimore at 1 a.m. on Tuesday, embarking on a 27-day journey to Colombo, Sri Lanka. The ship “lost propulsion” as it was leaving the port and warned Maryland officials of a possible collision, according to officials.
The waterway into and out of the port is closed and there is no other route into the port, which is the second busiest port in the Mid-Atlantic.
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Mar 26, 11:00 AM
6 unaccounted for
Six people remain unaccounted for as the desperate search continues at the site of the bridge collapse, Coast Guard officials said at a Tuesday morning news conference.
Two were rescued, including one who was hospitalized and later discharged, officials said. Construction workers were on the bridge working on potholes at the time of the collapse, Governor Wes Moore said.
“To hear the words that the Key Bridge has collapsed, it’s shocking and heartbreaking,” Moore said. “It’s not just unprecedented, what we’re seeing today — it’s heartbreaking.”
The collapse appears to be an accident, Moore said.
There’s nothing to suggest ties to terrorism, the FBI added.
The container ship was moving at 8 knots, which is considered fast, officials noted.
A harbor pilot and assistant onboard the cargo ship reported power issues, multiple alarms on the bridge and loss of propulsion prior to the incident, according to a Coast Guard memo obtained by ABC News. All personnel on the tanker are accounted for with no reported injuries, the memo said.
The Patapsco River channel is fully blocked, with approximately five inbound and seven outbound vessels in the queue for the next 24 hours, according to the memo.
The bridge was up to code, officials said.
Mar 26, 9:49 AM
Governor declares state of emergency
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
“We are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration,” Moore said in a statement.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott also declared a local state of emergency.
Mar 26, 11:08 AM
The history of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge
The 1.6-mile bridge on the I-695 beltway crosses the Patapsco River, where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the words of the U.S. national anthem in 1814, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.
Key, after whom the bridge was named, was also an advisor to Andrew Jackson, served as the District Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1833 to 1841, and was a slave owner, according to…
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