UPDATED: Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapses after being struck by container ship
Major rescue operation underway
Looking for a quality used fire truck? Selling one? Visit our sponsor Command Fire Apparatus
The Baltimore City Fire Department is leading a large rescue operation on the Patapsco River after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge early this (Tuesday) morning. A container ship struck the bridge causing the collapse. It’s unclear how many vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collision. Two people from the bridge were rescued. One declined treatment. The other is hospitalized.
There is significant concern about the fate of a work crew on the bridge at the time of the crash. As many as 20 eight people were with that crew. The video shows orange lights on at least three or four work vehicles stopped near the center of the bridge, just to the east of where the ship hit the bridge. That section collapsed into the river.
There was a warning when the container ship announced a mayday after apparently experiencing a power problem. Maryland Governor Wes Moore says this allowed some traffic heading to the bridge to be stopped, saving lives.
Rescuers initially had to deal with uncertainty about the stability of the remaining portion of the bridge and containers from the ship that are in precarious positions. A unified command has been set up for what’s expected to be a lengthy operation.
Both radio traffic and the website Vessel Finder indicate the container ship involved is the Dali out of Singapore. Part of the bridge landed on the bow of the Dali.
The Key Bridge was opened in 1977 and carries I-695 over the Patapsco south of Baltimore’s Harbor. This is a major shipping channel and the collapse is likely to have a significant impact on the industry.
The Maryland Transportation Authority post Saturday on X that it was the 47th anniversary of the bridge. The other routes for vehicle traffic to get across the Patapsco are the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and the Fort McHenry Tunnel.
On this date in 1977, the I-695 Francis Scott Key Bridge opened to traffic. pic.twitter.com/Q4BPEp9rb3
— MDTA (@TheMDTA) March 23, 2016
