A container ship has rammed into a significant bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, inflicting it to snap and plunge into the river beneath.
A number of automobiles fell into the chilly waters of the Patapsco River early on Tuesday, and rescuers looked for survivors.
It was not clear what triggered the cargo ship to crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge lengthy earlier than the busy morning commute in the USA metropolis near Washington, DC.
Two individuals had been rescued, and it was not clear what number of extra is likely to be within the waters of the busy harbour close to a key port.
The ship crashed into one of many bridge’s helps, inflicting the construction to snap and buckle at a number of factors and tumble into the water in a matter of seconds — a stunning spectacle that was captured on video and posted on social media. The vessel caught hearth, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.
“By no means would you assume that you’d see, bodily see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It appeared like one thing out of an motion film,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott mentioned, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy”.
Baltimore Hearth Division Chief James Wallace mentioned authorities “could also be searching for upwards of seven individuals”, however he mentioned that quantity may change, and different officers wouldn’t give figures. It was not clear if the 2 individuals rescued had been included within the seven cited by the fireplace chief.
Authorities mentioned a crew of unknown dimension was engaged on the bridge on the time of the accident and sonar had detected vehicles within the water, which is about 15 metres (50ft) deep. The water temperature was about 47 levels Fahrenheit (8 levels Celsius) earlier than daybreak on Tuesday, in accordance with a buoy that collects information for the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.