At least seven people were missing this Tuesday morning and were actively searched by firefighters in the city of Baltimore, in the northern United States, after the collapse of a bridge over the Patapsco River due to the collision of a freighter against one of its pillars, according to local sources.
The city's fire department indicated that a team of divers is searching in the water for those seven people, supposedly occupants of the vehicles that fell into the river due to the accident on the metal-structured Francis Scott Key Bridge.
An anonymous video shows how the ship crashes into one of the pylons that support the bridge, which completely collapses in a matter of minutes.
The cargo ship, named Dali, flagged by Singapore and 948 feet long (288.9 meters), caught fire after the collision, according to fire and police sources.
Kevin Cartwright, communications director for the Baltimore Fire Department, confirmed to local television station WBFF that the bridge had been hit by "a large ship," causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River.
"At least seven people and several vehicles" have fallen into the river, Cartwright said.
The city's mayor, Brendon Scott, reported on X that he was en route to the crash site, as were emergency crews.
The metal bridge, which opened in 1977, is 1.6 miles long (2.5 kilometers) and spans both banks of the Patapsco River.
It is part of Maryland's Interstate 695, which surrounds Baltimore and has been closed after the accident.
With information from EFE.
IS