Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapses; search and rescue underway
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday after a column was hit by a large container ship after the vessel lost power, sending vehicles and people into the Patapsco River, authorities said.
Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace told reporters Tuesday morning the scene was "an active search and rescue." The Coast Guard was taking part.
"We may be looking for upwards of seven individuals, that's the latest information we have." He said the search was being conducted on and in the water and on the ship's deck. He said sonar has detected vehicles in the river.
Wallace said at least two people have been rescued from the water — one wasn't hurt and one was in "very serious" condition. The injured person was being treated at the University of Maryland Medical Center and had been unable to speak to investigators so far, officials said.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency, saying in a statement that "we are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration. We are thankful for the brave men and women who are carrying out efforts to rescue those involved and pray for everyone's safety."
Earlier, the fire department told CBS News that at about 1:30 a.m., 911 calls started coming in saying a vessel had hit a bridge column. It was unclear how many vehicles were on the span but "there was surely a large tractor-trailer" on it.
The department's communications director, Kevin Cartwright, described the collapse as "a mass casualty event." He told The Associated Press it was a "dire emergency" and some cargo was apparently dangling from the bridge.
The department said on its scanner that there was lots of diesel fuel in the water around the ship and that there were construction workers on the bridge pouring concrete at the time. Wallace said it wasn't clear how much fuel was in the water.
The unclassified Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency memo reviewed by CBS News said the Dali lost power before the collision. That information was confirmed to CBS News by a law enforcement official.
Secretary of Maryland Department of Transportation Paul Widefield said at briefing that the FBI was on the scene "to see if there was any terrorism connection, which there is not."
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on social media that his office was "closely monitoring the tragic situation" and said that there are "no indications that this was an intentional act."
Wiedefeld confirmed that there were workers on the bridge repairing concrete at the time of the collapse. The CISA memo said that one of the people rescued was one of the workers on the bridge.
NOAA's National Data Buoy Center said the river water was 48 degrees overnight.
The MidAtlantic Coast Guard told CBS News the 948-foot Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali had struck the bridge. It was carrying cargo and apparently en route from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Reuters reports that the ship's owner, Synergy Marine Group, said the cause of the collision wasn't known but all crew members were accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries to any of them. Wallace said that the ship's crew was still on board as of early Tuesday morning.
"An unthinkable tragedy"
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott headed to the scene and told reporters at a morning briefing that the collapse was "an unthinkable tragedy."
"We have to first and foremost pray for all of those who are impacted, those families, pray for our first responders and thank them," Scott said.
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said on social media: "Rescue efforts are underway. Please pray for those impacted."
A witness told CBS News Baltimore the sound of the collapse was massive, shaking his home.
"Earthquake — sounded like a big bash of thunder," the resident said. "And then just like I said it felt like an earthquake, the whole house vibrated. Like my house was falling down."
The man said he never thought in his "wildest dreams" he would see something like this happen.
Location of the Key Bridge in Baltimore
The Francis Scott Key Bridge spans the Patapsco River, a key waterway that serves with the Port of Baltimore as a hub for East Coast shipping. CBS News Baltimore reports that the 1.6-mile span was used by some 31,000 people a day and was four lanes wide.
The bridge was named after the writer of "The Star-Spangled Banner." It was opened in 1977.
The Maryland Transportation Authority said all lanes were closed in both directions for an incident on I-695 Key Bridge and later posted that traffic was being detoured to I-95 and I-895.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on social media that he's "spoken with Gov. Moore and Mayor Scott to offer USDOT's support following the vessel strike and collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge. Rescue efforts remain underway and drivers in the Baltimore area should follow local responder guidance on detours and response."
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