The Francis Scott Key Bridge along I-695 in Maryland collapsed into the Baltimore harbor following a “ship strike” early Tuesday morning, setting off a search and rescue mission for those inside vehicles that plunged into the chilly waters.
A livestream of the bridge appeared to show a cargo ship colliding with a support beam, causing the bridge to break apart and fall into the Patapsco River. Officials said “upwards of seven” people were missing and that two had been pulled from the water. Multiple vehicles were on the bridge at the time, but no update on casualties has been offered.
Paul Wiedefeld, secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, told reporters early Tuesday that the FBI was on scene investigating what caused the ship to ram into the bridge and determined it was not linked to terrorism.
When asked whether the ship lost power before striking the bridge, Wiedefeld said that it was too early in the investigation to tell.
Wiedefeld confirmed there were people on the bridge at the time, though no specific numbers were immediately provided.
Officials are continuing to respond to the catastrophic collapse as an active search and rescue mission, with the U.S. Coast Guard searching for any survivors in the water.
Emergency crews including the U.S. Coast Guard, local first responders and the FBI were searching for people believed to be in the water, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press around 3 a.m. Officials have described this as a mass casualty event.
“Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” Cartwright said.
Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said at least two people were pulled from the water following the collapse, with one of them in serious condition.
