Accidents
Bridge collapses in Baltimore after ship collision
Only parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain standing after a container ship collided with a carrier in Baltimore. photo
© Steve Ruark/AP/dpa
Dramatic scenes in the US metropolis: A ship drives into a four-lane car bridge – which then partially collapses. Several people fall into the water. The rescue operation is ongoing.
There is one in the US city of Baltimore The ship drove into a four-lane car bridge and caused it to partially collapse. The Maryland State Transportation Authority announced this early in the morning (local time).
The first emergency calls were received around 1:30 a.m., reported the New York Times and CBS News, citing the Coast Guard and the fire department.
Surveillance camera videos shared on social media showed how the ship rammed one of the support pillars and the car bridge then fell into the water. Several cars that were flashing on the bridge at the time of the collapse also fell into the river. According to CNN, rescue workers are currently looking for at least 20 people who may have fallen into the water. There were initially no reports of deaths or injuries.
Ship’s crew is fine
According to the owners, the ship’s crew is doing well. There were no injuries on the ship, it said in a statement that was available to the New York Times this morning (local time).
As several US media reported, citing the Coast Guard, the “Dali” was a container ship that was supposed to sail from Baltimore to Sri Lanka under the Singapore flag. The ship is almost 290 meters long. The Marinetraffic portal said that the “Dali” left the port of Baltimore at 1 a.m. (local time).
The Francis Scott Key Bridge leads over the harbor of the metropolis in the northeast of the USA. According to the Maryland Department of Transportation, it is more than 2.5 kilometers long and has four lanes.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said on X (formerly Twitter) that he was aware of the Key Bridge incident and was on his way there. “Emergency crews are on site and rescue work is underway.”