US bridge, the Maryland Transportation Authority reported early Tuesday that the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, USA, collapsed following a collision with a ship.
The MTA announced the incident on social media, referring to the bridge as “I-695 Key Bridge collapse due to ship strike” and cautioned drivers to avoid the area over the Patapsco River, terming it an “active scene.”
Prior to this update, the MTA had indicated the closure of interstate lanes in both directions due to an “incident” on the bridge, with traffic being redirected.
According to a statement from a Baltimore Police Department spokesperson to NBC News, there were reports of individuals potentially in the river following the partial collapse.
“At 1:35 a.m., Baltimore City police were notified of a partial bridge collapse, with workers possibly in the water, at the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” stated Detective Niki Fennoy.
The ship monitoring website MarineTraffic displayed the presence of a Singapore-flagged container ship named the Dali stopped under the bridge early Tuesday.
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Both Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr acknowledged the incident and assured ongoing rescue efforts. “Please pray for those impacted,” Olszewski posted on social media.
Source: vanguard.ngÂ
