In a matter of seconds, the Francis Scott Key Bridge falls apart after a cargo ship hits a column.
After the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed overnight, there is a huge search and rescue operation going on in Baltimore, Maryland.
Video surveillance caught the moment when a cargo ship hit a column supporting the bridge, throwing cars and people into the dark, cold water.
Find out more below.
The 1.6-mile Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River fell down early Tuesday morning, around 1:30 a.m., after being hit by a big ship.
In a split second, the bridge fell into the water.
The horrifying moment was caught on film.
Almost right away, search and rescue crews set out to find at least seven people, but maybe as many as twenty.
A lot of people were hurt, and a lot of different agencies are helping right now, said Kevin Cartwright, who is in charge of communications for the Baltimore City Fire Department. His words to CNN were, “Unfortunately, we know that there are up to 20 people and several vehicles in the Patapsco River.”
Paul J. Wiedefeld, who is the Secretary of Transportation for Maryland, confirmed that there was a construction crew working on the bridge at the time it fell.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed called the tragedy “unthinkable” at a news conference Tuesday morning. “You can’t even imagine how sad this is.” You never thought the Key Bridge would fall that way. It looked like something from a movie… Our main goal should be to protect life.”
As soon as the sun came up on Tuesday morning, search and rescue operations began.
“Things are tough,” Johnny Olszewski, the executive of Baltimore County, told CNN. “This is about a deep channel port.” There are 40 to 50 feet of water and strong currents. It’s windy outside, and the water is cold. That’s why we worry about the people who are in the water and the people who might fall off the bridge.
Two people had been pulled from the water by 9:00 a.m. EDT. One person was said to be in “very serious” condition, and the other person was said to be fine.
Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security for the US, said there were “no indications” that the crash was planned.
