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Baltimore bridge collapses

A 948-foot container ship smashed into a four-lane bridge in the US port of Baltimore in darkness early on Tuesday, causing it to collapse and sending cars and people plunging into the river below.

Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one of whom remains hospitalised and were searching for more in the Patapsco River after huge spans of the 1.6-mile (2.57 km) Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the water.

The incident occurred at nearly 1.30 am US local time.

The container ship, traveling at a relatively rapid speed of about eight knots, lost power in the moments before it struck the bridge, sending at least eight people from a construction crew into the water. A large section of the bridge crashed into the Patapsco River.

Work crews had been repairing potholes on the bridge at the time of the collapse and sonar detected vehicles under the water, which was about 50 feet deep at that point, said Paul Wiedefeld, Maryland Secretary of Transportation.

A Reuters report stated local police have confirmed that two people have been rescued and at least six people are still missing.

The ship’s crew notified authorities that they had lost power shortly before it struck the bridge, Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland said.

“We haven’t seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack,” he said, calling it an accident.

Out of the rescued individuals, one is said to be in “very serious condition”, the police told Reuters. They assured that a search and rescue operation is underway, however, they admitted that the authorities have a “large area to search”.

President Joe Biden was being briefed on the collision, the White House said.

Traffic was suspended at the Port of Baltimore until further notice, Maryland transportation authorities said. It is the busiest US port for car shipments, handling more than 750,000 vehicles in 2022, according to port data.

(Agencies; Picture Courtesy: Streamtime Live)

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