A major bridge in the US city of Baltimore has collapsed after a container ship hit it, sending vehicles and people plunging into the water.
A live video posted on YouTube showed a ship hitting the 2.57km-long Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early hours of Tuesday (local time), after which major portions of the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River.
Unverified videos posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, also showed the impact and collapse.
Reuters could not immediately verify the videos.
The Baltimore City Fire Department described the collapse as a mass-casualty incident, and said workers were searching for people in the river.
“We received several 911 calls at around 1:30am, that a vessel struck the Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the collapse. This is currently a mass casualty incident and we are searching for seven people who are in the river,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told Reuters.
There are early reports that up to 20 people may be in the water, as well as “multiple vehicles”. The Baltimore City Fire Department could not immediately be reached to confirm.
Baltimore police said they had been notified of the incident around 1:35am (local time) on Tuesday.
Photo taken from the X feed @HarforCoFireEMS Harford County, MD Volunteer Fire & EMS showing a portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, US, collapsed after a large boat collided with it. Source: AAP / Harford County, MD Volunteer Fire & EMS/PA/Alamy
Ship tracking data from LSEG shows a Singapore-flagged container ship, the Dali, at the location along the Key Bridge where the accident occurred.
The registered owner of the ship is Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and the manager is Synergy Marine Group, LSEG data shows.
Synergy said that a Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” collided with one of the pillars of the bridge and that all its crew members, including the two pilots have been accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.
Reuters could not immediately reach Grace Ocean for comment.
“I-695 Key Bridge collapse due to ship strike,” the Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA) posted on X, calling it an “active scene”.
Earlier, the MTA had said that the interstate lanes in both directions were closed due to an “incident” on the bridge and that traffic was being redirected.
“I’m aware of and en route to the incident at the Key Bridge… Emergency personnel are on scene, and efforts are underway,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on X.
