With the first light of the morning on the enormous Patapsco River , the images of a dramatic night
appeared in all their magnitude
, when a Singapore-flagged ship collided with one of the pillars of the
majestic
Francis Scott Key Bridge
in Baltimore
, bringing it down like pieces of a domino and dragging cars and their passengers into the depths of the icy water.
About 20 people were wanted.
Twisted irons, overturned over the water like paper figures, and the gigantic cargo ship trapped in those same irons as
if they were a spider web
.
The four-degree Celsius icy water of Patapasco was a great calm mirror on Monday morning, but with horror in its depths.
The Scott Key Bridge collapsed.
Photo: Reuters
Maritime traffic
was "suspended until further notice"
in the port of Baltimore
, one of the busiest in the United States,
after the bridge collapse, announced the Secretary of Transportation of the state of Maryland.
"Ship traffic entering and leaving the port of Baltimore is suspended until further notice. The port remains open to truck traffic," Secretary Paul Wiedefeld told reporters.
The collision of the freighter "Dali" against the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore occurred shortly
after the ship lost power
, according to a video of the accident, although Baltimore Police assure that
there are no signs of a terrorist attack
.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley insisted there was no indication of terrorism or that the bridge had been attacked.
Video
It happened when a Singapore-flagged cargo ship hit one of the pillars of the structure, one of the most important of its kind in Baltimore.
The bridge
, more than 2 kilometers long
and part of I-695, one of the most important routes on the route that connects New York with Washington, collapsed around 1:30 a.m. local time (2:30 a.m. in Argentina) this Tuesday, when the cargo ship, which was heading out of the Port of Baltimore, hit one of its pillars.
The cargo ship loses power twice, according to video at the Port of Baltimore, and a plume of smoke can be seen appearing before the collision.
Three small boats, an 87-foot patrol boat, as well as helicopters are searching for people.
Photo: Reuters
Two people have been rescued alive from the waters of Baltimore's Patapsco River.
One of them serious.
But sonar images show there are many cars in the water.
The city's fire chief, James Wallace, informed local media that of the two people rescued, one was unharmed and refused treatment, while the other was taken to a hospital and his condition is serious.
Seven people are known to be missing and actively sought, but it is "a dynamic number," Wallace said, in the sense that there could be many more.
Some sources spoke of 20 people being searched.
There were people working on the Francis Scott Key Bridge
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld provided an update to reporters along with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Wiedefeld said
there were contractors working on the bridge at the time of the collapse
, who were "doing some
repairs
to the concrete deck."
He added that boat traffic entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore - with the exception of trucks - was suspended while the search and rescue mission continues.
Authorities reported that there were people working on the bridge.
Photo: Mandel NGAN / AFP
Traffic on I-695, of which the bridge is a part,
was also diverted.
A U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson told reporters that
their primary mission right now is to search for "survivors in the water."
They have deployed three small boats
, an 87-foot patrol boat, as well as helicopters
to the scene
.
Wiedefeld said
there are no confirmed deaths at this time
and also emphasized that it is too early in the investigation to know exactly what caused the collapse.