The images are impressive.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, a 2.5 km long bridge located in southeast Baltimore (Maryland, United States), collapsed early in the morning on Tuesday.
In the images, we can see in the distance a boat approaching the bridge, and damaging a pillar, causing the structure to collapse.
At this time, it is not known whether any cars were on the bridge when it collapsed.
City Mayor Brandon M. Scott said he was "en route to the incident," adding that "rescue is on scene."
“Rescues are underway.
Pray for those affected,” wrote County Executive Johnny Olszewski.
HOLY CRAP!
The Francis Scott Key Bridge has collapsed after a ship collision in Baltimore.
The 1,200 feet (366 m) span bridge was the third longest span of any continuous truss in the world.
pic.twitter.com/oMd0pOy8eu
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 26, 2024
A US Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed to the New York Times that a cargo ship had indeed hit the bridge.
This would be the Dali, a boat almost 300 m long flying the flag of Singapore.
A report of an impact was issued at 1:27 a.m. local time, or 6:27 a.m. in France, he explains.
“All lanes were closed in both directions due to an incident on the I-695 Key Bridge.
Traffic is diverted,” writes X, the company in charge of traffic on the bridge.
>> More information to follow on leparisien.fr