Baltimore bridge collapses after ship collission

A major bridge in the US city of Baltimore has collapsed after a cargo ship collided with one of its support structures.

Driving the news: The Dali, a Singapore-flagged ship, struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge at around 1:30am ET on Tuesday.

• Departing from Baltimore at 1 AM, the ship was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka, operating under a charter by Maersk.

The latest: Following the crash, several vehicles plunged into the river and at least seven people are believed to be missing.

• Rescuers have removed two people from the water so far, and one person has been transported to the hospital “in very serious condition”.
• Workers repairing the bridge’s concrete deck were among those on the bridge at the time of the collapse.

Why it matters: The Port of Baltimore, the biggest handler of US imports and exports of cars and light trucks, will be out of commission indefinitely as vehicles can’t enter or leave the port.

• Spanning the Patapsco River, the Francis Scott Key Bridge is a pivotal component of the Baltimore harbor's outer crossings and a crucial segment of Interstate-695.
• Authorities are now looking for alternative routes for the 35,000 people who use the bridge everyday.

Zoom in: The crew on the ship issued a "mayday" call before it collided with the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.

• A live video posted on YouTube showed the moment the vessel slammed into the bridge, causing almost the entire roadway structure to collapse into the water.

What they’re saying: "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," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced on X.

• He also said that the preliminary investigation into the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore "points to an accident."