Stunning video shows the moment a ship rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, early Tuesday and sent the bridge plunging into the Patapsco River.
The video shows the ship approach the bridge near one of its supports. The vessel’s lights appear to go dark as it nears the bridge before appearing to flicker back on moments before the collision. Suddenly, the ship appears to hit the bridge’s support and a cloud of black smoke rises. Within seconds, parts of the huge steel bridge snap and crumple into the river.
"The entire bridge, the entire Key Bridge, is in the water," an official could be heard saying on a radio transmission to the Baltimore Fire Department.
'Unthinkable tragedy'
The search for several missing people stretched into late Tuesday.
Mayor Brandon Scott called the bridge collapse an “unthinkable tragedy.”
“Never would you think that you would see physically see the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of an action movie,” he said.
Sonar indicated there were vehicles in the water, where the temperature was about 47 degrees in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Ship issued 'mayday' before collision
The ship’s crash into the bridge appears to be an accident, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at a news conference.
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“We haven’t seen any evidence of a terrorist attack,” he said.
Synergy Marine Group — which owns and manages the ship called the “Dali” — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while two pilots were in control. It said all crew members, including the pilots, were accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries.
The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic. The container ship is about 985 feet long and about 157 feet wide, according to the website.
From a vantage point near the entrance to the bridge, jagged remnants of its steel frame were visible protruding from the water, with the on-ramp ending abruptly where the span once began.
Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel, which was carrying its customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were on board.
