Governor declares state of emergency after bridge collapse – search for six missing people continues
“It cannot be assumed that any more people can be rescued alive.”
In Baltimore, a container ship rammed a bridge and caused it to collapse. Several cars fell into the water. Two people have been rescued so far. It is unlikely that any more survivors will be found, reports USA correspondent Michael Wüllenweber.
Serious accident in the USA: A container ship hit one of the main traffic bridges in Baltimore and caused the structure to collapse. Cars fell into the water and the search for the missing people continues to become increasingly difficult. The mayor speaks of an “unbelievable tragedy.”
NSix people are still missing following the bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland. The state’s transport minister, Paul Wiedefeld, announced this at a press conference. Two people have been rescued so far, one of whom is in hospital.
It is assumed that the victims were construction workers, said Transport Minister Wiedefeld. The missing people are being actively searched for. The construction workers on the bridge had therefore repaired potholes; it was not construction work on the structure of the bridge. Engineers are on site to examine the condition of the bridge and the debris field more closely.
In addition to air and water assistance, authorities said infrared and sonar technology was also used for the rescue operation. In this way, five vehicles were identified under water, including three cars and a concrete mixer. Authorities did not initially say whether there were people in the vehicles.
Bridge collapse in Baltimore
The morning after the collision: A rescue helicopter over the container freighter that caused the bridge to collapse.
Source: REUTERS
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in a photo from 2018.
Source: AFP/MARK WILSON
The 2.57-kilometer-long bridge opened in 1977 and is part of the I-695 bypass of Baltimore.
Source: AFP/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI
The exact circumstances of the collision are unclear. The local police were informed of the incident at 1:35 a.m. local time (06:35 CET) on Tuesday night.
Source: AFP/ROBERTO SCHMIDT
According to data from the provider LSEG, the container ship is the “Dali”, which sails under the Singapore flag.
Source: REUTERS
It had been chartered by the shipping company Maersk and was scheduled to leave the port of Baltimore for Colombo early Tuesday morning.
Source: dpa/Harford County, MD Volunteer Fir
Baltimore is the busiest U.S. port for automobile transportation. According to the Maryland government, almost 850,000 cars and light trucks were handled there in 2023.
Source: AP/Steve Ruark
The Key Bridge was named after the author of the US national anthem “Star-Spangled Banner”. Now it is destroyed.
Source: REUTERS
The low temperatures are cause for great concern, and not just with regard to the casualties, said fire department spokesman Kevin Cartwright to the news channel CNN. The outside temperature feels like minus one degree Celsius or less, the water temperature is nine degrees Celsius, explained Cartwright. “This can be a concern and risk to our divers.”
Horrible images “like something out of an action movie”
US President Joe Biden was informed of the bridge collapse. The 81-year-old spoke of a “terrible accident” and promised to get the important port on the US East Coast back into operation as soon as possible. The bridge will be restored as quickly as possible, but this will take some time, Biden said.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency. According to him, there is no evidence of a terrorist attack. It is assumed that there was an accident; the crew complained of a power problem shortly before the collision and sent out an emergency signal, said Moore. Lives were saved because the authorities stopped some of the traffic over the bridge. “These people are heroes. They saved lives last night,” Moore said.
On Tuesday night, the cargo ship rammed a pillar of the four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the bridge to largely collapse. The ship caught fire and thick, black smoke rose. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott spoke of an “unbelievable tragedy” and terrible images “like something out of an action movie.”
The first emergency calls were received around 1:30 a.m. (local time). Several vehicles were said to have been on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a semi-trailer truck.
Crew of the “Dali” doing well
According to the owners, the crew of the ship is doing well. There were no injuries on the ship, according to a statement obtained by the New York Times. The owners confirmed the incident.
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 around 290 meters long. On the Marine Traffic Portal it was said that the “Dali” left the port of Baltimore at 1 a.m. (local time).
The Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977 and was over 2.7 kilometers long
Source: AFP/MARK WILSON
Video footage on online services showed the illuminated bridge collapsing into the Patapsco River. First the rammed bridge pillar collapsed, then the entire steel structure buckled in a wave movement and sections of it collapsed into the river. As the sun rose, the extent of the collapse became truly clear. The arched struts of the bridge jutted out of the water like a skeleton. A CBS reporter on site reported, visibly shocked, that the bridge had “basically completely disappeared.”
The Francis Scott Key Bridge spanned the Patapsco River as part of Interstate 695 southwest of downtown Baltimore. It opened in 1977 in the industrial and port city on the US East Coast and is used by more than eleven million vehicles every year. The port of Baltimore, the largest city in the US state of Maryland, and the Patapsco River are considered an important hub for shipping traffic on the East Coast.