What you need to know about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore that left at least 6 people missing
Search and rescue operations continue after a giant cargo ship loses power in Baltimore and crashes into the city's iconic structure. francis scott key bridge Part of the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River early Tuesday morning. collapse Cars and people were sent into the water along with the entire bridge.
Almost 12 hours after the initial collision, no fatalities have been confirmed. Authorities said two people were rescued from the water, one unharmed and one hospitalized, and search teams are searching for at least six people missing. All are believed to be part of the construction crew who were filling holes in the bridge at the time of the collapse.
Here's what we know so far about the collapse.
What happened to the key bridge?
Around 1:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, a huge cargo ship crashed into the supports of the vast Francis Scott Key Bridge, which stretches more than 57,000 feet along the Patapsco River in downtown Baltimore.
The impact caused large sections of the bridge to collapse into the water. CBS Baltimore's Amy Kawata shared a heartbreaking video Key bridge collapse on social media.
witness told CBS News Baltimore The crash was loud and shook the house.
“It was an earthquake — it was like a big thunderbolt,” the man said. “And like I said, it felt like an earthquake. The whole house shook. It felt like the house was falling.”
The Baltimore Fire Department told CBS News that the first 911 call came in around 1:30 a.m. reporting a boat had struck a bridge pillar. Kevin Cartwright, the fire department's communications director, described it as a “mass casualty incident.”
Marine traffic was suspended at the port and Interstate 695 was shut down after the collision. closed in both directions.
What caused the crash?
The Singapore-flagged Dali, which was involved in the accident, had just left the Port of Baltimore and was reported to have lost propulsion before colliding with a bridge support. Officials said crews issued a mayday call to give them time to shut down traffic to the bridge.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told CBS News that the Mayday call “saved many lives” and allowed emergency workers to get to the scene quickly.
Scott and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency in the wake of the collapse. Federal, state and local officials, including the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board, were on the scene.
Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Widefield said in an initial briefing that the FBI was on the scene “to determine if there was a terrorist connection,” which was not the case.He said FBI involvement is precautionary This is common in the early stages of an investigation.
William J. Del Bagno, the special agent in charge of the case, said: “There is no specific or credible information to suggest a terrorist connection to this case.” FBI Baltimore Field Officeat a press conference late Tuesday morning.
“We are still investigating what happened, but we are quickly gathering details,” Governor Moore said at a press conference. “Preliminary investigation indicates a possible accident. No credible evidence of a terrorist attack has been found.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas earlier said on social media that he was “closely monitoring the tragic situation,” adding: “There is no indication that this was an intentional act.”
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board deployed The team investigating the bridge collapse said it would share further information about the investigation at a news conference later Tuesday.
The ship reported losing propulsion as it left the Port of Baltimore, according to an unclassified memo issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA, which reported losing control of the ship and potentially hitting a bridge in Maryland. The state Department of Transportation was notified.
“If you lose steering and power, you're basically a dead ship that's just being carried along by the current and its own momentum,” James Mercante, president of the New York Pilots Commission, told CBS News. he said.
Dali was heading toward the bridge at a speed of about 8 knots, which authorities acknowledged was “very fast.”
“It's going to take a long time — maybe five hours.” [or] 6 soccer fields — able to stop a ship even after dropping anchor due to its power and momentum. This is a huge company,” Mercante said.
Mr Widefield said the overnight maintenance work was “completely unrelated” to any structural issues affecting the bridge itself.
The most recent federal inspection report for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, submitted in May 2022, gave the bridge's span the following scores: 6 out of 9this is considered “fair”. CBS News Baltimore report. The Key Bridge has been in “fair” condition, or a passing grade, since 2008, but the latest inspection report cited concerns about one of its reinforced concrete columns. The column's health index score has been lowered. It is unclear whether the column in question is the same one typed Tuesday morning.
search and rescue mission
The U.S. Coast Guard Still actively searching A spokesperson for the agency announced the missing person Tuesday morning.
Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said in an earlier news conference that responders had already responded. pulled the two Although recovered from the river, authorities believed at least seven more people were still missing. This number was later revised to six.
Mr Wallace said one of the people rescued was uninjured, but the other had “very serious injuries”. The injured person was taken to the University of Maryland Medical Center for treatment, but officials said the person has not been able to speak to investigators at this time.
The search focused both on and under the water, as well as on the ship's deck at the time of description.
The fire chief said sonar detected a vehicle underwater in the river. Meanwhile, the crew was still on board the ship.
Officials said all those missing after the collapse were part of the construction crew who were working on the bridge when the ship hit it.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said water temperatures in Patapsco reached 48 degrees Fahrenheit overnight. Experts warn of submersion. water at this temperature teeth very dangerous Do not wear appropriate protective equipment, even for relatively short periods of time.
State officials said the section of river where the bridge collapsed was about 50 feet deep.
What type of bridge?
The Francis Scott Key Bridge features steel arches and is one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the world. American Society of Civil Engineers.
Construction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge began in 1972 and opened to traffic on March 23, 1977.
The length of the Patapsco River is 2.6 miles. The entire bridge project length, including the connecting approaches, is 17.9 miles. For decades, it served as the daily commuter route for tens of thousands of people.
The Patapsco River is a 69-mile river that winds its way through central Maryland and empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Portions of the waterway form the Port of Baltimore, providing direct service to the city's main port. Baltimore is a major domestic and international shipping hub of particular importance to the shipping network along the U.S. East Coast.
Originally known as the Outer Harbor Crossing, it was named after “The Star-Spangled Banner” composer Francis Scott Key.
According to the Maryland Department of Transportation, “Scholars believe the bridge crosses less than 100 yards from where Francis Scott Key witnessed the shelling of Fort McHenry on the night of September 12, 1814. I'm thinking about it.'' national anthem.
Where did cargo ships come from?
The 948-foot container ship Dali was heading to Sri Lanka's capital Colombo when it crashed, the Mid-Atlantic Coast Guard told CBS News.
The ship was time-chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk and operated by charter company Synergy Marine Group. Synergy said in a statement that it has established its own incident response team and is “cooperating fully with federal and state government agencies based on approved plans.” It was announced that two pilots were flying the Dali, but their names have not yet been released. The ship's 22 crew members are all Indian nationals, Synergy said.
CBS Baltimore
In a separate statement, Maersk said it was “appalled by what happened in Baltimore” and was “closely following the investigation conducted by authorities and Synergy.” There were no Maersk employees or crew members on board the ship at the time of the collision, but the Dali was carrying cargo for a Maersk customer, the company said.
A statement from Synergy suggested there was no record of contamination of the river from the crash, but the Baltimore Fire Department said scanners showed large amounts of diesel fuel in the water around the cargo ship. The exact amount of fuel that leaked into the water was still unknown Tuesday morning, the fire chief said. CISA said in a memo that the agency has not received any reports of significant pollution to the river.
—Nicole Sganga, Kelly Breen, Brian Dax and staff at CBS News and CBS News Baltimore contributed reporting.
Summarize this content to 100 words Search and rescue operations continue after a giant cargo ship loses power in Baltimore and crashes into the city's iconic structure. francis scott key bridge Part of the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River early Tuesday morning. collapse Cars and people were sent into the water along with the entire bridge. Almost 12 hours after the initial collision, no fatalities have been confirmed. Authorities said two people were rescued from the water, one unharmed and one hospitalized, and search teams are searching for at least six people missing. All are believed to be part of the construction crew who were filling holes in the bridge at the time of the collapse. Here's what we know so far about the collapse.
What happened to the key bridge?Around 1:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, a huge cargo ship crashed into the supports of the vast Francis Scott Key Bridge, which stretches more than 57,000 feet along the Patapsco River in downtown Baltimore. The impact caused large sections of the bridge to collapse into the water. CBS Baltimore's Amy Kawata shared a heartbreaking video Key bridge collapse on social media.
#breaking news: Video shows a cargo ship crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early this morning. Officials confirmed that rescue operations were underway.All lanes are closed in both directions due to an accident on Interstate 695 Key Bridge.@wjzpic.twitter.com/kgstV4OPLb— Amy Kawata TV (@AmyKawata) March 26, 2024
witness told CBS News Baltimore The crash was loud and shook the house.
“It was an earthquake — it was like a big thunderbolt,” the man said. “And like I said, it felt like an earthquake. The whole house shook. It felt like the house was falling.”The Baltimore Fire Department told CBS News that the first 911 call came in around 1:30 a.m. reporting a boat had struck a bridge pillar. Kevin Cartwright, the fire department's communications director, described it as a “mass casualty incident.”Marine traffic was suspended at the port and Interstate 695 was shut down after the collision. closed in both directions.What caused the crash?The Singapore-flagged Dali, which was involved in the accident, had just left the Port of Baltimore and was reported to have lost propulsion before colliding with a bridge support. Officials said crews issued a mayday call to give them time to shut down traffic to the bridge.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told CBS News that the Mayday call “saved many lives” and allowed emergency workers to get to the scene quickly. Scott and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency in the wake of the collapse. Federal, state and local officials, including the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board, were on the scene.
The ship lost propulsion before hitting the Baltimore Bridge.
03:05
Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Widefield said in an initial briefing that the FBI was on the scene “to determine if there was a terrorist connection,” which was not the case.He said FBI involvement is precautionary This is common in the early stages of an investigation. William J. Del Bagno, the special agent in charge of the case, said: “There is no specific or credible information to suggest a terrorist connection to this case.” FBI Baltimore Field Officeat a press conference late Tuesday morning. “We are still investigating what happened, but we are quickly gathering details,” Governor Moore said at a press conference. “Preliminary investigation indicates a possible accident. No credible evidence of a terrorist attack has been found.”Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas earlier said on social media that he was “closely monitoring the tragic situation,” adding: “There is no indication that this was an intentional act.” Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board deployed The team investigating the bridge collapse said it would share further information about the investigation at a news conference later Tuesday.
The ship reported losing propulsion as it left the Port of Baltimore, according to an unclassified memo issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA, which reported losing control of the ship and potentially hitting a bridge in Maryland. The state Department of Transportation was notified.”If you lose steering and power, you're basically a dead ship that's just being carried along by the current and its own momentum,” James Mercante, president of the New York Pilots Commission, told CBS News. he said.Dali was heading toward the bridge at a speed of about 8 knots, which authorities acknowledged was “very fast.””It's going to take a long time — maybe five hours.” [or] 6 soccer fields — able to stop a ship even after dropping anchor due to its power and momentum. This is a huge company,” Mercante said.
Maritime experts react to ship that collided with Baltimore bridge, causing collapse
07:12
Mr Widefield said the overnight maintenance work was “completely unrelated” to any structural issues affecting the bridge itself. The most recent federal inspection report for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, submitted in May 2022, gave the bridge's span the following scores: 6 out of 9this is considered “fair”. CBS News Baltimore report. The Key Bridge has been in “fair” condition, or a passing grade, since 2008, but the latest inspection report cited concerns about one of its reinforced concrete columns. The column's health index score has been lowered. It is unclear whether the column in question is the same one typed Tuesday morning.search and rescue missionThe U.S. Coast Guard Still actively searching A spokesperson for the agency announced the missing person Tuesday morning.
Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said in an earlier news conference that responders had already responded. pulled the two Although recovered from the river, authorities believed at least seven more people were still missing. This number was later revised to six. Mr Wallace said one of the people rescued was uninjured, but the other had “very serious injuries”. The injured person was taken to the University of Maryland Medical Center for treatment, but officials said the person has not been able to speak to investigators at this time.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott 'focuses on search and rescue' after bridge collapse
05:35
The search focused both on and under the water, as well as on the ship's deck at the time of description. The fire chief said sonar detected a vehicle underwater in the river. Meanwhile, the crew was still on board the ship.Officials said all those missing after the collapse were part of the construction crew who were working on the bridge when the ship hit it. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said water temperatures in Patapsco reached 48 degrees Fahrenheit overnight. Experts warn of submersion. water at this temperature teeth very dangerous Do not wear appropriate protective equipment, even for relatively short periods of time. State officials said the section of river where the bridge collapsed was about 50 feet deep.
What type of bridge?The Francis Scott Key Bridge features steel arches and is one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the world. American Society of Civil Engineers.Construction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge began in 1972 and opened to traffic on March 23, 1977. The length of the Patapsco River is 2.6 miles. The entire bridge project length, including the connecting approaches, is 17.9 miles. For decades, it served as the daily commuter route for tens of thousands of people. The Patapsco River is a 69-mile river that winds its way through central Maryland and empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Portions of the waterway form the Port of Baltimore, providing direct service to the city's main port. Baltimore is a major domestic and international shipping hub of particular importance to the shipping network along the U.S. East Coast. Originally known as the Outer Harbor Crossing, it was named after “The Star-Spangled Banner” composer Francis Scott Key. According to the Maryland Department of Transportation, “Scholars believe the bridge crosses less than 100 yards from where Francis Scott Key witnessed the shelling of Fort McHenry on the night of September 12, 1814. I'm thinking about it.'' national anthem. Where did cargo ships come from?The 948-foot container ship Dali was heading to Sri Lanka's capital Colombo when it crashed, the Mid-Atlantic Coast Guard told CBS News.
The ship was time-chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk and operated by charter company Synergy Marine Group. Synergy said in a statement that it has established its own incident response team and is “cooperating fully with federal and state government agencies based on approved plans.” It was announced that two pilots were flying the Dali, but their names have not yet been released. The ship's 22 crew members are all Indian nationals, Synergy said.
Aerial view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, which partially collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship on March 26, 2024.
CBS Baltimore
In a separate statement, Maersk said it was “appalled by what happened in Baltimore” and was “closely following the investigation conducted by authorities and Synergy.” There were no Maersk employees or crew members on board the ship at the time of the collision, but the Dali was carrying cargo for a Maersk customer, the company said.A statement from Synergy suggested there was no record of contamination of the river from the crash, but the Baltimore Fire Department said scanners showed large amounts of diesel fuel in the water around the cargo ship. The exact amount of fuel that leaked into the water was still unknown Tuesday morning, the fire chief said. CISA said in a memo that the agency has not received any reports of significant pollution to the river.—Nicole Sganga, Kelly Breen, Brian Dax and staff at CBS News and CBS News Baltimore contributed reporting.
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Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news with a focus on crime and extreme weather. Emily May has written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Buzzfeed, and Newsweek.
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