Yahoo Lifestyle Video Of The Baltimore Key Bridge Collapse Is Going Viral. Here's Everything We Know.
Around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, a container cargo ship struck a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, resulting in the structure's collapse.
Video depicting the exact moment of impact and collapse has gone viral online. Several cars can be seen driving along the bridge at the time.
BREAKING: Ship collides with Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse pic.twitter.com/OcOrSjOCRn
— BNO News (@BNONews) March 26, 2024
In a statement, Baltimore's mayor Brandon Scott declared a State of Emergency in the city to "deploy emergency resources to protect the persons affected by the incident and expand the resources available to tackle the emergency situation."
At this time, James Wallace, fire chief of Baltimore City Fire Department, says two people have been rescued from the water – one of whom is in "very serious condition" and being treated at a local trauma center.
Water temperatures last night were around 47 degrees Fahrenheit according to buoys placed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
According to CBS Morning, officials are currently searching the water for upwards of seven people.
Sonar equipment is being used to detect underwater vehicles, and rescuers say they are searching the surface of the water, below the surface, and the deck of the cargo ship.
It appears possible that construction workers who were on the bridge at the time may have fallen into the river, Baltimore police say.
The Volunteer Firefighters from @jmvfc8, the Volunteer Swift Water Team and the @HarfordCoDES Special Operations Team are assisting the Unified Command at the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. pic.twitter.com/ipoTR2HljY
— Harford Co., MD Fire & EMS (@HarforCoFireEMS) March 26, 2024
“This is an unthinkable tragedy,” Mayor Brandon Scott said. “We have to first and foremost pray for all of those who are impacted.”
When asked how long it would take to rebuild, Mayor Scott responded: "We shouldn't even be having that discussion right now. The discussion right now should be about the people, the souls, the lives that we're trying to save."
"There will be a time to discuss about a bridge and how we get a bridge back up, but right now there are people in the water that we have to get out. And that's the only thing that we should be talking about," he concluded.
All members of the crew's ship have been accounted for and are uninjured, and no indication of intentional foul play has been found.
BuzzFeed will update you as this story develops.
