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BALTIMORE (AP) — A container ship rammed into a significant bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, inflicting it to snap and plunge into the river under. A number of autos fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers had been trying to find survivors.
Two folks had been rescued from the waters beneath the Francis Scott Key Bridge, one in critical situation, in accordance with Baltimore Fireplace Chief James Wallace. He mentioned authorities “could also be searching for upwards of seven folks” however mentioned that quantity might change. It was not clear if the 2 rescued had been included within the seven.
It was not instantly clear what triggered the cargo ship to crash into the bridge lengthy earlier than the busy morning commute in what one official referred to as a “creating mass casualty occasion” in a significant American metropolis simply exterior 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 surprising spectacle that was captured on video and posted on social media. The vessel caught fireplace, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.
“By no means would you suppose 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.”
Sonar has indicated that there are autos within the water, the place the temperature was about 47 levels Fahrenheit (8 levels Celsius) within the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects knowledge for the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fireplace 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 scale of a tractor-trailer truck. The bridge got here down in the course of evening when site visitors could be lighter than throughout the day when 1000’s of automobiles traverse the span.
Cartwright referred to as the collapse a “creating mass casualty occasion,” although he didn’t know on the time how many individuals had been affected.
He added that some cargo seemed 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 significant hub for delivery 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 assets 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 beneath a Singapore flag, in accordance with knowledge from Marine Visitors. The container ship is about 985 toes (300 meters) lengthy and about 157 toes (48 meters) broad, in accordance with the web site.
In 2001, a freight prepare carrying hazardous supplies derailed in a tunnel in downtown Baltimore and caught fireplace, spewing black smoke into surrounding neighborhoods and forcing officers to quickly shut all main roads into the town.
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This story has been corrected to replicate that the ship doesn’t seem to have sunk.
