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Authorities say emergency personnel have been on the scene and rescue efforts have been below means.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US metropolis of Baltimore has collapsed after a ship hit it.
Media experiences stated that the vessel crashed into the bridge at about 1:30am, catching hearth earlier than sinking and inflicting a number of autos to fall into the water under. Officers have known as the incident a “creating mass casualty occasion”.
“All lanes closed each instructions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Site visitors is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.
The Baltimore mayor stated emergency personnel have been on the scene and rescue efforts have been below means.
Emergency responders have been trying to find no less than seven folks believed to be within the water, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fireplace Division, informed The Related Press at about 3am.
He stated companies obtained 911 calls at about 1:30am reporting a vessel travelling outbound from Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge, inflicting it to break down.
A number of autos have been on the bridge on the time, together with one the dimensions of a tractor-trailer.
“Our focus proper now could be attempting to rescue and get well these folks,” Cartwright stated.
He added that it’s too early to understand how many individuals have been affected however known as the incident a “creating mass casualty occasion”.
Emergency responders are having to function cautiously as it seems that there are “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge,” creating unsafe and unstable circumstances, he continued.
“This can be a dire emergency,” he stated.
A dwell video posted on YouTube confirmed a ship hitting the bridge, after which main parts of the spans collapsed into the Patapsco River. Unverified movies posted on social media X additionally confirmed the impression and collapse.
Ship monitoring knowledge from LSEG reveals a Singapore-flagged container ship, the Dali, on the location alongside the Key Bridge the place the accident occurred. The registered proprietor of the ship is Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and the supervisor is Synergy Marine Group, LSEG knowledge present.
Synergy Marine Corp stated {that a} Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” collided with one of many pillars of the bridge and that every one its crew members, together with the 2 pilots have been accounted for and there have been no experiences of any accidents.
Reuters couldn’t instantly attain Grace Ocean for remark.
It was not instantly clear if the Baltimore port operations have been impacted as a result of bridge collapse.
The port’s personal and public terminals dealt with 847,158 autos and lightweight vans in 2023, essentially the most of any US port. The port additionally handles farm and development equipment, sugar, gypsum and coal, in response to a Maryland authorities web site.
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