The Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore has collapsed after a shipping container crashed into it. Reports suggest the shipping container lost power, then floated into the bridge, hitting the supports/base, and the bridge collapsed. People who were in their vehicles went down with it.
Kevin Cartwright of the Baltimore Fire Department spoke with someone at Reuters, saying: “We received several 911 calls at around 1:30 a.m., that a vessel struck the Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the collapse… This is currently a mass casualty incident and we are searching for seven people who are in the river.”
Cartwright spoke with someone at CNN, saying: “We are in the midst of managing a mass casualty multi agency incident here… Unfortunately, we understand that there are up to 20 individuals who may be in the Patapsco river as well as multiple vehicles… This happened at 01:30 a.m. with limited visibility so we are working aggressively, considering the environmental temperatures as well as the water temperatures to try and rescue and perhaps recover individuals… It feels like at least about 30 degrees (-1°C) where I am. It could be slightly lower than that. And I’m sure that the water temperature is even colder… And that can pose a concern and risk for our divers… This is a very devastating incident in which these individuals have encountered so our hearts go out to each and every one of them, and we will be working valiantly throughout the early morning to address this.”
