Baltimore’s Key Bridge has collapsed into the water after it was hit by a container ship, multiple local media reported on Tuesday. Several videos shared on social media showed a large cargo ship ramming into one of the bridge’s support pillars, causing it to come crashing down into the Patapsco River, along with a number of cars that were on the bridge at the time, according to a video obtained by The Independent. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Around 1:30 a.m., a large vessel crashed into the bridge, catching on fire before sinking and causing multiple vehicles to fall into the water below, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “All lanes closed in both directions for the incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.
Baltimore Bridge Rescue operation
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway. Emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told the Associated Press around 3 a.m.
He said agencies received 911 calls around 1:30 a.m. reporting a vessel travelling outbound from Baltimore that had struck a column on the bridge, causing it to collapse. Multiple vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer.
"Dire emergency"
“Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” Cartwright said. He said it’s too early to know how many people were affected but called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”
Cartwright said it appears there are “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge,” creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency responders are operating cautiously as a result.
“This is a dire emergency,” he said.
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