‘Mass casualty incident’ as bridge collapses in Baltimore, US

Horrendous footage shows the moment the vessel hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, sending the massive steel structure crashing into the Patapsco River, shortly before 1.30am local time.

Official sources have not yet confirmed the collapse but the US Coast Guard has confirmed that a container ship struck the bridge. It’s believed first responders are preparing for a mass casualty incident.

The extent of the damage to the bridge was not immediately clear, the New York Times said.

“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” Maryland Transportation Authority said in a post on X.

A police spokesperson from the Baltimore Police Department told NBC News that people were possibly in the river.

“I can confirm at 1:35 a.m., Baltimore City police were notified of a partial bridge collapse, with workers possibly in the water, at the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Detective Niki Fennoy said in a statement.

Chief Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore City Fire Department told the BBC that as “as many as seven individuals and several vehicles” had fallen into the river.

There is now an ongoing multi-agency rescue operation being led by the fire department, collaborating with the US Coastguard and other Maryland agencies.

Ship monitoring website MarineTraffic showed a Singapore-flagged container ship called the Dali stopped under the bridge early Tuesday.

More to come

-With AFP