AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md. The ship rammed into the major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to collapse in a matter of seconds.
A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore, Md., in the overnight hours of March 26, causing it to snap and plunge into the Patapsco River below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers spent the morning searching for survivors.
As of mid-morning, it was not entirely clear what caused the cargo ship Dali, owned and managed by Synergy Marine Group, to hit a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore’s outer harbor at approximately 1:30 a.m., 45 minutes after the vessel began its departure for Colombo, Sri Lanka. But the crew on the ship issued a “mayday” call before it collided with the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
The ship crash caused the bridge structure to break apart like a toy, the Associated Press reported, and tumbled into the water in a matter of seconds — a shocking spectacle that was captured on video and posted on social media. The vessel itself caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.
The AP also noted that the Dali was being controlled by one or more Baltimore harbor pilots, local specialists familiar with the waterway and brought aboard to help navigate vessels safely into and out of port.
The crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge happened hours before the busy morning commute in what one official called a “developing mass casualty event.” The bridge carries traffic along Interstate 695, also known as the Baltimore Beltway, across the waterway from Hawkins Point at the structure’s south end to Sollers Point on the north shore of the river.
Two people were rescued, and it was not clear how many more might be in the waters of the busy harbor leading to the Port of Baltimore, one of America’s major dockyards.
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said in a news conference that eight people with the state’s Department of Transportation were working on the bridge at the time of the accident to repair the road deck and fill potholes. He added that six of those workers were still unaccounted for by mid-morning.
Synergy Marine Group also noted that all crew members aboard the Dali, including the two pilots, were accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.
“Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of an action movie,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy.”
Baltimore Fire Department (BFD) Chief James Wallace said authorities “may be looking for upwards of seven people” but said that number could change, and other officials would not give figures. It was not clear if the two rescued were included in the seven cited by Wallace.
Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for BFD, told the AP that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck. The bridge came down in the middle of night when traffic would be lighter than during the day when thousands of cars traverse the span.
All vessel traffic into and out of the port would be suspended until further notice, according to Wiedefeld, though the facility was still open to trucks.
The AP also learned that sonar had detected cars in the water, which is approximately 50 ft. deep. The water temperature was around 47 F before dawn Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Opened in 1977, the Francis Scott Key Bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” composed during the British shelling of nearby Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
The structure was a steel arch continuous through truss bridge with a main span of 1,200 ft., making it the third longest span in the world employing that design. Additionally, it was the second-longest bridge in the Baltimore metropolitan area, after the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Authorities Believe Bridge Strike Was an Accident
As the sun rose Tuesday morning, jagged remnants of the Key Bridge were illuminated jutting up from the water’s surface. The I-695 on-ramp ended abruptly where the span once began.
Cartwright said that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the Key Bridge at the entrance to the busy harbor.
Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said he was working to get federal resources deployed. The FBI also was on the scene but said there was no credible information to suggest terrorism. In addition, President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation.
As a result of the disaster, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) has closed the I-695 Outer Loop closed at Maryland Highway 10 (Exit 2) and the interstate’s Inner Loop has been shut down at Md. 157/Peninsula Expressway (Exit 43). In addition, alternate harbor crossing routes are the I-95 or I-895 tunnels.
The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, and flying under a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic. The container ship is about 985 ft. long and 157 ft. wide, according to the website. Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel, which was carrying its customers’ cargo.
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