At least seven folks had been lacking after a serious bridge within the U.S. metropolis of Baltimore collapsed after it was hit by a container ship early Tuesday.
The vessel seems to have hit one of many helps of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, inflicting the roadway to interrupt aside in a number of locations and plunge into the water, in line with a video posted on X, previously generally known as Twitter. The ship caught hearth and appeared to sink.
The bridge, which opened in 1977, spans the Patapsco River, a significant artery that together with the Port of Baltimore is a hub for transport on the East Coast. It is known as for the author of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“This is a dire emergency,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, instructed The Associated Press. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”
He added that some cargo gave the impression to be dangling from the bridge.
Emergency responders had been looking for at the least seven folks believed to be within the water, Cartwright stated, although he added it was too early to know the way many individuals had been affected. He referred to as the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”
He stated businesses acquired 911 calls round 1:30 a.m. reporting {that a} ship leaving Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge. Several automobiles had been on the bridge on the time, together with one the scale of a tractor-trailer truck.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel had been responding and rescue efforts had been underway.
“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.
Source: www.dailysabah.com