Baltimore bridge collapses after being hit by ship

The governor declared a state of emergency and a search-and-rescue operation is underway after Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed overnight as a result of a ship strike.THE LATEST RIGHT NOW:• Officials confirmed six people are still unaccounted for; search and rescue continues• Two people were initially rescued, one declined treatment, one taken to, and subsequently discharged from, Shock Trauma• Preliminary investigation shows this was not intentional• Gov. Wes Moore said the crew on the ship notified authorities that they had lost power.• Moore said between a mayday call and the collapse, officials stopped the flow of traffic so that more cars were not on the bridge, potentially saving lives.• Baltimore Beltway\I-695 closed from Glen Burnie to Dundalk (traffic map here)The 1.6-mile bridge carried the Baltimore Beltway\Interstate 695 over the Patapsco River. Its collapse was reported around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday after the cargo ship “Dali” crashed into a support structure.Video posted online shows the entire structure breaking apart in several locations and collapsing. The Associated Press reported the ship caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed from it.”A ship hit it and it’s gone. We thought it was an earthquake,” a person in the area told 11 News.SkyTeam 11 reported the portion of the bridge that collapsed was the steel superstructure and that the concrete bridge appeared to remain intact.The Maryland Port Administration has suspended vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore is until further notice. The port is not shut down and they are still processing trucks inside of the terminals.Video below: Gov. Wes Moore and Sen. Chris Van Hollen provide an update on collapseBaltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said there is no intelligence or any indication that the incident was intentional.The FBI released the following statement, saying: “There is no specific and credible information to suggest any ties to terrorism at this time. The investigation is ongoing. FBI Baltimore will continue to support our partners at the local, state and federal levels.”Video below captures collapse of Key BridgeSearch for survivorsState authorities said the ship alerted the Maryland Department of Transportation that it had lost power and was headed toward the bridge, prompting officials to close the bridge to traffic before the structure was struck.However, there was a work crew on the bridge at the time of the collapse and as many as six people were unaccounted for, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld confirmed.”This is an active search-and-rescue mission. We know there were individuals on the bridge at the time of the collapse working on the bridge, contractors for us,” Wiedefeld said.”Our response teams are doing everything in our power to rescue and recover the victims of this as we speak,” Gov. Wes Moore said. “People right now are working to save lives.””This is a dire emergency,” Baltimore fire spokesman Kevin Cartwright said. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said at 6:30 a.m. that two others were rescued from the water so far. One person was taken to a trauma center in very serious condition, the other declined medical treatment. A search-and-rescue operation continued over a large area. SkyTeam 11 video below shows bridge collapse & point of impactWallace said dive crews are in the debris field, battling darkness.”We’ll be guided by our guide teams,” Wallace said. “This water is current influenced, so right now, we think the current is coming in, so we have to take a lot of factors int play.””We have to be thinking about the families and the people impacted,” Scott said.Wallace said the crew of the ship is still on board.Multiple agencies are involved in a search, including the Coast Guard and dive teams. Video from SkyTeam 11 showed crews searching the water.Baltimore County fire officials said its crews responded with numerous water rescue resources. Harford County Fire and EMS said volunteer firefighters from the Volunteer Swift Water Team and the Harford County Department of Emergency Services’ Special Operations Team are assisting the Unified Command at the bridge collapse.State of emergencyThe governor’s office released a statement, saying: “My office is in close communication with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski and the Baltimore Fire Department as emergency personnel are on the scene following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.Video below: Maryland transportation secretary provides update”I have declared a state of emergency here in Maryland and we are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden administration.”We are thankful for the brave men and women who are carrying out efforts to rescue those involved and pray for everyone’s safety.”We will remain in close contact with federal, state, and local entities that are carrying out rescue efforts as we continue to assess and respond to this tragedy.”Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Baltimore City in response to the collapse starting at 9 a.m. and will remain in place for 30 days, which enables the mobilization of emergency services and resources.”This is an unthinkable tragedy,” Scott said at a news conference early Tuesday morning. “This is a tragedy you can never imagine. Never did you think you would see the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of a movie … Our focus should be the preservation of life.””We all awoke this morning to an unspeakable tragedy,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said at a news conference early Tuesday morning. “We have a long road ahead not just in the search and rescue but in the fallout after this.”U.S. Transportation Secretary posted an update on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: “I’ve spoken with Gov. (Wes) Moore and Mayor Scott to offer USDOT’s support following the vessel strike and collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge. Rescue efforts remain underway and drivers in the Baltimore area should follow local responder guidance on detours and response.”Alternate routes for harbor crossingsI-695 is closed between Maryland Route 157 in Dundalk and Maryland Route 2 in Glen Burnie.Interstate 95\Fort McHenry Tunnel (Maximum height: 14 feet, 6 inches; maximum width: 11 feet)Interstate 895\Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (Maximum height: 13 feet, 6 inches; maximum width: 8 feet)Vehicles transporting hazardous materials (including propane of more than 10 pounds) are prohibited in tunnels and should use the western section of I-695 around tunnels.President: Federal government will pay to rebuild bridgePresident Joe Biden spoke on the bridge collapse Tuesday afternoon, saying the federal government will send all the resources needed by the city and state.Video: President speaks about bridge collapse”We’re with you, were going to stay with you for along as it takes. Like the governor said, you’re Maryland tough, you’re Baltimore strong and we’re going to get through this together, and I promise we’re not leaving,” Biden said.The president called on Congress to put into motion the federal government paying for the construction of a replacement bridge.”It’s my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost to reconstruct the bridge,” Biden said.Where is this bridge?The Key Bridge open in 1977, completing the Baltimore Beltway’s circumference around the city. The bridge is southeast of the city proper and spanned from Sparrows Point to the southernmost tip of Baltimore.According to an Maryland Transportation Authority report issued in November, the Key Bridge carried more than 12.4 million commercial and passenger vehicles in 2023. According to Federal Highway Administration records, the last inspection of the Key Bridge took place in May 2021 and the structure was found to be in fair condition. The FHA records show the steel truss bridge’s deck condition was satisfactory, its superstructure condition was satisfactory and its substructure condition was satisfactory. No repair work was identified in the report. Check traffic mapApp users tap here to check traffic map

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