Baltimore Live Updates: Mass casualties expected in Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
Read Live updates on Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, in the early hours of Tuesday after a container ship hit it.
A view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed, in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., in this picture released on March 26, 2024.
Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed and several vehicles may have fallen into the river below after a container ship collided with it. The ship caught fire, emitting thick black smoke. Emergency responders are searching for at least seven people in the water. Kevin Cartwright from the Baltimore Fire Department described the situation as a “dire emergency” and a “developing mass casualty event.” The incident occurred over the Patapsco River, a key shipping artery, and the bridge is named after the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Follow all the updates here:
Mar 26, 2024 3:05 PM IST
Baltimore resident thought bridge collapse report was ‘April Fools’ joke’
After the incident, local resident Michael Brown spoke to NBC News and said he first thought that his neighbor was playing a “April Fools’ joke” on him when he told him about the bridge collapse.
Mar 26, 2024 3:01 PM IST
Rescue agencies working to evacuate 20 people
Baltimore City Fire Department with response teams are working to rescue around 20 people who may have fallen into the river when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed.
Speaking to CNN, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications of the Baltimore City Fire Department, told that there are at least 20 individuals who “may be in the Patapsco river as well as multiple vehicles”.
Mar 26, 2024 2:30 PM IST
Multiple vehicles had fallen into the water
“We received several 911 calls at around 1:30 am, that a vessel struck the Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the collapse. This is currently a mass casualty incident and we are searching for seven people who are in the river,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department told Reuters. AP has reported that multiple vehicles had fallen into the water
Mar 26, 2024 2:25 PM IST
‘Mass-casualty incident’, says Baltimore City Fire Department
The Baltimore City Fire Department described the collapse as a mass-casualty incident, and said workers were searching for seven people in the river.
“We received several 911 calls at around 1:30 am, that a vessel struck the Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the collapse. This is currently a mass casualty incident and we are searching for seven people who are in the river,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department told Reuters.
Baltimore police said they had been notified of the incident at 1:35 a.m. ET (535 GMT) on Tuesday.
Mar 26, 2024 2:25 PM IST
Video Captures container colliding with Francis Scott Key Bridge
A live video posted on YouTube showed a ship hitting the bridge, after which several of its spans collapsed into the Patapsco River. Unverified videos posted on social media X also showed the impact and collapse. Reuters could not immediately verify the videos.
