Major Bridge Collapse in the US... Vehicles Fall, 20 People Presumed Missing (Comprehensive)

A large bridge at Baltimore Harbor in Maryland, USA, collapsed on the 26th (local time) after colliding with a departing container ship, causing several vehicles traveling on the bridge to fall into the river. Authorities are conducting search and rescue operations, reporting that up to 20 people are missing due to the accident. Police have stated there is no indication of terrorism.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

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According to AP and AFP news agencies, at around 1:27 a.m. Eastern Time on the same day, the Coast Guard received a report that a large cargo ship had collided with a pier of the 'Francis Scott Key Bridge,' which spans Baltimore Harbor. The collision caused the bridge to collapse starting from the middle section, and several vehicles traveling on the highway above the bridge fell into the river below.

The exact extent of the damage is still unknown. Fire authorities have classified the collision as a 'mass casualty incident' and reported that rescue teams are conducting search operations, with at least 7 and up to 20 people believed to be missing in the water.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency related to the bridge collapse. Governor Moore said on X (formerly Twitter), "We are working with multiple agencies to ensure federal resources can be deployed quickly."

Live footage monitoring the bridge shows the accident ship colliding with one of the two main piers at around 1:28 a.m. according to the timestamp on the video. The bridge then rapidly collapses from the middle deck downward. Foreign media reported that the ship appeared to try to change direction just before hitting the pier, and most of the bridge visible in the video collapsed within about 20 seconds.

Videos showing the bridge collapse were also posted on social media (SNS). However, foreign media noted they could not verify the authenticity of these videos.

Kevin Cartwright, Public Information Officer of the Baltimore Fire Department, explained that the accident ship was departing Baltimore Harbor and that several vehicles, including large tractor-trailers, were on the bridge at the time of the collision. He added, "Currently, we are focusing on search and rescue for the missing, but the situation at the site is dangerous and unstable, with cargo caught on the collapsed bridge, so rescue workers are conducting search operations cautiously."

Authorities have ruled out the possibility of terrorism. Richard Worley, Chief of the Baltimore Police Department, said, "There is no indication that the accident was intentional or any signs of terrorism."

The container ship involved in the accident is the Singapore-flagged 'Dali,' which departed Baltimore at around 1 a.m. that day and was scheduled to travel via the Panama Canal to Colombo, Sri Lanka. Bloomberg reported that the ship was carrying about 4,900 containers at the time of the accident. Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2015, the ship has a capacity of about 9,700 containers, weighs 32,000 tons, and measures 290 meters in length. The shipowner is Grace Ocean, and the charterer is the global shipping company Maersk.

Grace Ocean stated in a press release that all crew members aboard the ship, including two pilots, are safe and that they will cooperate with authorities to determine the cause of the collision.

Commonly called the 'Key Bridge,' this bridge is approximately 2.6 km long and crosses the outer part of Baltimore Harbor on the lower Patapsco River. It opened in 1977 and is part of Highway 695. Maryland transportation authorities stated on X that "both directions of traffic lanes on the Key Bridge are closed due to the accident, and vehicles are being rerouted." The accident also halted ship traffic to and from Baltimore Harbor. Baltimore Harbor is one of the busiest ports on the U.S. East Coast. Bloomberg reported that it has recorded the highest cargo volume for 13 consecutive years among ports handling automobiles and light trucks in the U.S.

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