United States

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: At Least 7 People Fall Into Water After Container Ship Collision

Author: Editors Desk, Trace William Cowen Source: Complex
March 26, 2024 at 08:59
Image via Getty/Rob Carr
Image via Getty/Rob Carr
At a press conference, a local fire official confirmed that two people had been rescued from the river, including one "in very serious condition."

A State of Emergency has been declared in Maryland after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore.

Per a regional report from Michelle Deal-Zimmerman and Hayes Gardner for the Baltimore Sun, the bridge collapsed into the cold waters of the Patapsco River Tuesday morning after being hit by a container ship. 

Speaking to reporters, James Wallace, chief of the Baltimore City Fire Department, said that it was initially believed that "a portion" of the bridge had collapsed. However, "a complete collapse" was confirmed once officers started arriving on the scene.
 

Video via Fox 5 Washington DC
 


"We were able to remove two people from the water," Wallace said early Tuesday. "One individual refused service and refused transport. Essentially, that person was not injured. However, there is another individual that’s been transported to the local trauma center that’s in very serious condition."

Wallace also confirmed that "at least seven" people had fallen into the water, though he also pointed out the "dynamic" nature of that estimate, noting that it was as high as 20 earlier into the multi-agency response. Notably, search-and-rescue operations remained in progress at the time of this writing.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced the State of Emergency declaration Tuesday morning, adding that his office was in communication with federal, state, and local officials.
 


Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, confirmed his department’s involvement in the bridge collapse response. In a Twitter update of his own, Buttigieg said that rescue efforts remained "underway."
Keywords
You did not use the site, Click here to remain logged. Timeout: 60 second