Baltimore might have a big disaster because a ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The bridge collapsed and about 20 people fell into the cold water. A fire official told the media.
Divers and rescue teams are looking for people in the Patapsco River. They think some vehicles, including a big tractor-trailer, fell into the water. Kevin Cartwright, from the Baltimore City Fire Department, said this.
Local offices got calls for help at 1:30 in the morning. Cartwright said that a ship leaving Baltimore hit a column on the bridge.
He said there might have been a very big vehicle on the bridge when it fell down.
The teams were working carefully and safely to make sure everyone stays safe and we can make progress without hurting anyone else.
The Maryland Transportation Authority is directing traffic to go on a different route.
The mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott, wrote a message on social media at 3 a.m that he was on his way to the accident at the bridge. “Help is on the way from emergency workers,” he said.
A big boat crashed into a bridge support and made a huge part of the bridge fall into the water. The crash made the nearby parts of the bridge fall down right away.
The accident caused big clouds of smoke and fire to go up into the sky. Part of the bridge seemed to fall onto the front of the boat, as seen in a video. Thick smoke kept going up in the air for a few minutes.
The 16 mile bridge has 4 lanes and goes over the Patapsco River. It’s an important part of the Baltimore Beltway and helps people travel around the city.
The person the bridge is named after, Francis Scott Key, was sitting near the bridge when he saw the attack on Fort McHenry in 1814. This inspired him to write the words of the “Star Spangled Banner. “
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Rescuers look for 20 people in water after Baltimore bridge collapse – Officials
