AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A CARGO SHIP THE BALTIMORE KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSED EARLY THIS MORNING
"Baltimore Officials Have Declared A Mass Casualty Event As Rescue Workers Look For At Least 20 People In The Water."
Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 5:15 A.M. ET. By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News, Associated Press Contributing:
BALTIMORE, MD.- A Large Section of The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Maryland, Collapsed Early Tuesday Morning after being Struck by a Cargo Ship, sending Multiple Vehicles into The Water of The Patapsco River. The Cargo Ship caught fire and sank after Striking The Bridge.
Baltimore Officials confirmed at 1:30 a.m., Tuesday, a Cargo Vessel Crashed into The Bridge, Catching Fire before Sinking. "All lanes closed in both directions for an incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured," The Maryland Transportation posted on X.
Baltimore Authorities have Declared The Scene a Mass Casualty Event, as Emergency Responders are Searching for at least 20 People believed to be in the water.
Kevin Cartwright, Director of Communications for The Baltimore Fire Department reported that Baltimore Agencies received 911 Emergency Calls at about 1:30 a.m. reporting a Vessel travelling outbound from Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge, causing it to collapse. Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time including one the size of a tractor-trailer.
"Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people," Cartwright said. He said it appeared that there were "some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge," creating an unsafe and unstable condition and complicating the rescue operation. "This is a dire emergency."
The Ship a 948-Foot Cargo Vessel named Dali was a Singapore Flagged Cargo Ship that left Baltimore at 1:00 a.m., heading for Colombo the Capital of Sri Lanka, according to MarineTraffic a Marine Data Platform.
This is a Developing Story, please check back for more details as they Develop.
FILED UNDER: MARCH 26, 2024: NATIONAL, LOCAL, BALTIMORE: