Officials have reported that Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, stretching 1.6 miles (2.57 km) in Maryland, collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday following a collision with a container ship.
According to officials, the crash left up to seven individuals in the water. A live video uploaded on YouTube depicted the ship striking the bridge, leading to the collapse of several spans into the Patapsco River.
The Baltimore City Fire Department categorized the incident as a mass-casualty event and initiated search efforts for the missing individuals in the river. Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, informed Reuters that multiple 911 calls were received around 1:30 am, reporting a vessel collision with the Key Bridge, resulting in its collapse.
Baltimore police were alerted to the situation at 1:35 a.m. ET (535 GMT) on Tuesday. According to the Associated Press, several vehicles plunged into the water as a result of the accident.
Ship tracking data provided by LSEG indicates the presence of a Singapore-flagged container ship, the Dali, at the Key Bridge location where the incident unfolded. Grace Ocean Pte Ltd is listed as the registered owner of the ship, while Synergy Marine Group serves as the manager, as per LSEG records.
Synergy Marine Corp reported that the container ship “Dali,” flying the flag of Singapore, collided with one of the bridge pillars. They confirmed that all crew members, including the two pilots, have been located, and no injuries were reported.
Baltimore’s port terminals, both private and public, handled 847,158 automobiles and light trucks in 2023, the highest among all U.S. ports. Additionally, the port manages the transportation of agricultural and construction machinery, sugar, gypsum, and coal, as per information available on a Maryland government website. The Baltimore port authorities did not respond immediately to Reuters’ request for comment.
The Key Bridge, named after Francis Scott Key, was inaugurated in 1977, with an estimated construction cost of $60.3 million.
Written by Alius Noreika
———-
First published in this link of The European Times.
