Officials said that a massive container ship lost power early Tuesday, March 26, before crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River along with people and vehicles.
At least six people believed to be part of a construction crew that was repairing potholes on the bridge remain unaccounted for, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said at a news conference Tuesday.
Two people were pulled from the Patapsco River, Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James Wallace said. One was not injured and the other was taken to a local trauma center in “very serious condition,” he said.
The ship crew notified officials that it had lost power before the crash, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said, noting the warning likely saved lives.
“We’re thankful that between the mayday and the collapse, we had officials who were able to begin to stop the flow of traffic so more cars were not on the bridge,” Moore said. He called those officials heroes.
Moore noted that the bridge was up to code at the time of the collapse. He said the collapse was a “shocking and heartbreaking” event for the people of Maryland who have used the bridge for 47 years.
Several vehicles are believed to have fallen into the water, including one as large as a tractor-trailer, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications of the Baltimore City Fire Department said early Tuesday.
Search and rescue crews used infrared and sonar technology to “mark” five vehicles underwater in the Patapsco River, three of which are believed to be passenger vehicles, Wallace told CNN on Tuesday, March 26th. “There are eight dive teams of about 50 divers, working on the rescue effort,” he added.
There are no known victims in the water who were in vehicles on the bridge at the time of the accident, Wiedefeld said.
