Baltimore, Maryland: Bridge collapses as officials announce lane closures and traffic detours

CNN
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Baltimore is facing possible “mass casualties” after a boat collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, causing the bridge to collapse and send up to 20 people falling into the icy water, a fire official told CNN event.

Several vehicles are believed to have fallen into the water, including one as large as a tractor-trailer, and divers and search-and-rescue teams are working in Patapsco, said Kevin Cartwright, communications director for the Baltimore City Fire Department. Searching for people in the river.

Cartwright said local agencies received a 911 call around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a vessel out of Baltimore had struck a pillar on the bridge.

He said a vehicle “as big as a tractor-trailer” may have been on the bridge when it collapsed.

Cartwright said teams were working “methodically and safely” to ensure “everyone working on site is safe and that we are able to make progress without causing adverse harm to anyone else”.

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The Maryland Transportation Authority said all traffic will be detoured.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement social media posts He was on his way to the incident on the bridge around 3am. He added: “Emergency crews are on scene and work is ongoing.”

Video of the collision shows a towering ship plowing directly into one of the bridge’s support columns before colliding with it, causing a large section of the bridge to plunge into the water in just seconds. The impact immediately triggered the collapse of adjacent sections of the bridge.

Video showed the accident sending large amounts of smoke and flames into the air and parts of the bridge appearing to collapse in front of the ship. Black smoke continued to rise in the air for several minutes.

This 1.6-mile-long, 4-lane bridge spans the Patapsco River and is the outermost ferry crossing in the Port of Baltimore and an important link to Interstate 695, or the Baltimore Beltway.

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The bridge’s namesake, Francis Scott Key, is believed to have witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814 while sitting near the bridge, inspiring him to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.” .

This is a developing story and will be updated.