SIX people were declared missing following a cargo ship hit a large bridge in Baltimore City, United States (US), Tuesday (26/3) morning local time, causing the Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River.
Maryland Transportation Agency Chairman Paul Wiedefeld said the six missing people were believed to be part of a construction crew working on a potholed bridge when it was hit at around 1:30 a.m. local time.
It is not yet known for certain whether there were cars crossing the bridge when it collapsed.
However, Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the operator of the Dali container ship radioed a mayday call.
This call allowed the authorities on the bridge to start stopping traffic flow, so that no more cars entered the bridge.
Moore did not say whether any vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collision. He stressed the investigation was still ongoing.
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“Many vehicles were stopped before they got to the bridge, which saved lives in a very, very heroic way,” he said.
The water temperature in the Patapsco River on Tuesday (26/3) morning reached 8 degrees Celsius, according to federal tracking data.
The bridge is one of three main roads leading to the Port of Baltimore, and is used by around 35,000 people every day.
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All commercial vessel traffic has been suspended to allow search and rescue efforts to continue.
Moore said authorities were only trying to find six people who were confirmed missing following the incident.
For Marylanders, he said, the news of the bridge collapse was a shocking and heartbreaking event.
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“For every one of us who is a Marylander, the words that the Key Bridge is gone still shakes us, because for 47 years that’s all we’ve known,” he told reporters at a news conference.
“This is not only unprecedented from what we’ve seen, what we’re seeing today is heartbreaking,” he continued.
Two people have been rescued by rescue teams, including one person who was taken to a local hospital in serious condition. Another refused medical treatment.
Video of the incident circulating on social media showed the Dali losing some power at least twice as thick clouds of black smoke came out of the container ship.
The ship then hit one of the bridge’s supporting pillars causing the bridge to collapse dramatically regarding a second later. (Ant/Z-1)
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