Horrific moment Baltimore bridge collapses after struck by cargo ship. Watch

While officials couldn't reveal the exact number of casualties at the moment, at least seven vehicles plunged into the river

A major bridge in Baltimore collapsed partially after a cargo ship rammed into it early Tuesday morning. The nearly 3-kilometre-long Francis Scott Key Bridge is part of the I-95 interstate, which runs from Miami to Maine. A live video shared on YouTube shows the shocking moment the large vessel violently crashed into the bridge, causing it to fall into the Patapsco River. The incident occurred around 1:30 am on March 26.

A view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed, in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., in this picture released on March 26, 2024.(via REUTERS)

Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one in a “very serious condition,” and were searching for more in the Patapsco River after huge spans of the 1.6-mile (2.57 km) Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the water, per Reuters. In light of the accident, the Maryland Transportation Authority wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured.”

While officials couldn't reveal the exact number of casualties at the moment, at least seven vehicles plunged into the river. Kevin Cartwright, the spokesperson for Baltimore City Fire Department, told Reuters that as many as 20 people could be in the river along with “numerous vehicles, and possibly a tractor-trailer or a vehicle as large as a tractor-trailer, (that) went into the river.”

“This is a mass-casualty, multi-agency event. This operation is going to extend for many days,” Cartwright continued, adding, “We received several 911 calls at around 1:30 am, that a vessel struck the Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the collapse.” The Baltimore police revealed that they had been notified of the incident at 1:35 am ET.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency to quickly deploy federal resources to deal with the emergency. The FBI in Baltimore said on X its personnel were “on scene,” per Reuters. During a news conference, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley stated that there was no indication of terrorism.

-With inputs from agency wire stories.