As of: March 26, 2024, 11:55 a.m
By: Moritz Bletzinger
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Horrible pictures from Baltimore in the USA.
A container ship rams into a bridge.
It collapses and several cars fall into the water.
Bridge collapse in Baltimore: ship hits pillars, cars fall into the water.
Fire brigade expects 20 missing people: rescue operation in river is underway.
Shipping company comments on accident: Cause of ship collision still unclear.
Update from March 26th, 11:47 a.m.:
“We are also fighting against the darkness,” says a spokesman for the fire department.
Sonar showed several vehicles and at least seven people in the water, but it is certainly possible that more people are floating in the river.
The freighter's crew is still on board.
Because the authorities are currently concentrating on the rescue operation, the captain, an American, has not yet been questioned about the cause of the accident.
Update from March 26th, 11:46 a.m.:
It seems that the cause of the accident is still a long time coming.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott emphasized at a press conference: “We should now think about the people whose lives are in danger and those who are risking their lives to save them.”
Diving teams are currently operating in water below ten degrees.
At these temperatures, survival time is around three hours.
Scott warns: “There are people in the water at this moment and that is the only thing we should be focusing on right now.”
A police spokesman added that there were absolutely no signs of a terrorist background.
“I could never have imagined seeing the bridge in ruins,” says Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott: The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a ship collision.
© Newscom/EyePress/Imago
Update from March 26th, 10:56 a.m.:
The Baltimore Bridge has collapsed like a house of cards.
At the BBC, civil engineer and bridge builder Ian Firth explains: “The support is a relatively weak structure when you look at it, a kind of scaffolding with individual legs.” When the freighter hit the solid structure, a load of several tons was developed The bridge apparently couldn't withstand it.
Firth can only speculate about the cause of the collision.
Of course, the ship should have been sailing in the middle of the canal, “but for some reason it must have gone off course and hit the support.”
Shipping company comments on bridge collapse in Baltimore: Crew apparently uninjured
Update from March 26th, 10:38 a.m.:
The shipping company of the accident freighter, Synergy Marine Group, confirmed to Reuters that their ship was affected and that they had mobilized their individual emergency service.
However, the exact cause of the accident is currently unclear.
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The good news: Apparently no one on board was injured.
All crew members, including the two captains, have been identified and there are no reports of injuries.
Fire officials believe at least 20 people are missing after a bridge collapsed in Baltimore
Update from March 26th, 10:25 a.m.:
So far there has been talk of seven people in the Patapsco River, the fire department is correcting this number significantly upwards.
She assumes there are at least 20 people in the nine degree Celsius cold water.
Update from March 26th, 10:12 a.m.:
It is not yet clear how many vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the accident.
One thing is certain: “There was a large semi-truck on it,” the authorities tell CBS News.
According to this, there are at least seven people in the river.
There were also several workers on the bridge early in the morning pouring concrete.
The police speak of a “serious emergency” and diving and rescue teams are now on site.
A picture of devastation in Baltimore: The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a ship collision.
© Harford County, MD Volunteer Fire & EMS/picture alliance/dpa/PA Media
“Mass casualty incident”: US authorities upgrade bridge accident in Baltimore
Update from March 26th, 9:47 a.m.:
The authorities in Maryland have now classified the bridge accident as a “mass casualty incident”.
In the USA, this refers to an incident in which local administrative authorities and the healthcare system are overwhelmed.
This means that there may be a large number of injured people.
The classification makes it possible to activate the country's military, fire department, police or emergency services.
Map shows which ship hit the bridge in Baltimore
Update from March 26th, 9:29 a.m.:
It is now clear which ship crashed into the bridge pillar.
Tracking data from
vesselfinder.com
shows the moment of the collision.
The bridge was hit by a Dali container ship flying the Singapore flag.
The freighter is 300 meters long and 48 meters wide.
On the map he can still be seen at the scene of the accident.
Tracking data shows the Dali freighter crashed into the bridge in Baltimore.
© Screenshot/vesselfinder.com
First report from March 26th, 8:37 a.m.:
Baltimore - Catastrophe at the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore (USA).
A cargo ship collided with a bridge pillar and the bridge collapsed.
Several cars fell into the Patapsco River, US media reports unanimously.
Catastrophic accident in the USA: “Large ship” rams bridge – supposedly seven people in the water
The communications director of the Baltimore Fire Department confirms to the BBC that the bridge was hit by a “large ship”.
The first emergency call was received around 1:30 a.m. local time, and a major rescue operation is now underway by the fire department, coast guard and other authorities from the state of Maryland.
There are currently no confirmed reports of injuries.
Seven people and several vehicles are said to have fallen into the water during the collapse.
These could include workers who were working on the bridge.
Video shows bridge collapse in the USA
A video from
BNO News
shows the moment of the collapse.
You can see the silhouette of a container ship crashing head-on into one of the pillars.
The freighter then catches fire and the bridge collapses like a toy.
According to media reports, Mayor Brandon Scott is currently on the way to the scene of the accident to get an idea of the situation.
Traffic in the area is already blocked on all lanes in both directions.
“Pray for those affected”: Situation still unclear after bridge collapse in Baltimore
The chairman of the Baltimore County Executive, Johnny Olszewski Jr, writes on
The extent of the bridge accident can currently only be guessed at.
Olszewski emphasizes: “Rescue is on the way.
Please pray for those affected.”
The accident on the Patapsco River is reminiscent of an incident in February in China.
There, a freighter collided with a bridge, cars crashed and several people died.
(moe)