Numerous people, including a construction work crew, are missing after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed. The bridge was struck by a large cargo ship that may have suffered a catastrophic power failure which prevented it from avoiding striking a main support of the bridge.
The incident has effectively cut Baltimore harbor off from global shipping traffic and is already causing major traffic congestion as motorists look for alternative routes now that the bridge is gone. The cargo ship, the Dali, is registered with Singapore but chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk.
Excerpt from www.cbsnews.com
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday after a column was hit by a large container ship, sending an unknown number of vehicles and people into the Patapsco River, authorities said.
CNN reported that that the Baltimore City Fire Department’s communications director, Kevin Cartwright, said as many as 20 people and multiple vehicles were in the water.
Earlier, the department told CBS News that at about 1:30 a.m., 911 calls started coming in saying a vessel had hit a bridge column. It was unclear how many vehicles were on the span but “there was surely a large tractor-trailer” on it.
“There are at least seven people” in the river and “the dive and rescue team has arrived on scene to locate the individuals.”
The department described the collapse as “a mass casualty event.”