BALTIMORE: The 2.57 km long Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, United States collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship.
Baltimore Police said this serious accident occurred on Tuesday (26 March) at 1.35 am local time (12.35 pm WIB).
CCTV footage shows a cargo ship hitting the bridge foundation causing the bridge structure to break and fall into the Patapsco River.
Lights from what appeared to be vehicles were visible on the road surface as the bridge buckled and collapsed in several sections, with a third section floating upwards before also falling into the water.
The Baltimore City Fire Department described the bridge collapse as a major disaster, and said its crews were searching for seven people who fell into the river.
“We believe there were vehicles and possibly a tractor-trailer that went into the water,” Kevin Cartwright of the Baltimore City Fire Department told the Baltimore Sun.
He added that “the whole bridge” had collapsed.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scoot said rescue operations were underway and he was moving to the crash site.
The Maryland Transportation Authority advised drivers to avoid the bridge, which is part of the I-695 toll road.
The four-lane bridge opened in 1977 and cost around 60.3 million US dollars to build.
Crossing the Patapsco River southwest of Baltimore city, the bridge is crossed by more than 11 million vehicles each year.
This bridge is an important part of the road network in the city of Baltimore, an industrial city on the US east coast close to the capital city of Washington DC.
