SHOCKING aerial photos show the aftermath of the dire situation in Baltimore as remnants of the Francis Scott Key Bridge are left floating in the harbor and on top of a cargo ship.
Six people remain unaccounted for after a large cargo vessel slammed into one of the supports of the 1.6-mile-long bridge at around 1:30 am on Tuesday.
Cars plunged 184 feet into the bone-chilling waters of Baltimore's Patapsco River as officials launched a desperate rescue operation for survivors.
Maryland's transportation secretary, Paul Wiedefeld, confirmed that the eight people on the bridge at the time were all construction workers.
The construction crew was filing in potholes moments before the bridge collapsed.
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Two workers were rescued, and six remain missing.
Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace told CNN that infrared and sonar technology revealed that at least five vehicles are at the bottom of the Patapsco River.
Wallace told the outlet that the vehicles included three passenger cars, a cement truck, and one unknown vehicle.
"It's the dynamic of an incident like this, operating in a space of uncertainty, it just makes things very difficult," he told CNN.
"Add darkness to it, it becomes dangerous."
It's unclear if anyone was inside the vehicles when the bridge collapsed.
At least eight dive teams were in the water performing search and rescue operations,
'UNTHINKABLE TRAGEDY'
Mayor Brandon Scott called the incident an "unthinkable tragedy."
"This is a tragedy you can never imagine," Scott said during a news conference.
"Never did you think you would see the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of a movie. Our focus should be the preservation of life."
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Mayor Scott said a preliminary investigation suggested the collision was an accident.
The FBI has ruled out the incident was linked to a terror attack.
KEY BRIDGE TUMBLES
As the sun rose in Baltimore, dramatic photos showed the bridge's steel frame sitting atop the container ship.
Heart-pounding video captured the moment the vessel appeared to suffer power failure.
The ship's lights flicker on and off as it travels down the Patapsco River before sticking into one of the bridge's supports.
The vessel has since been identified as the Singapore-flagged Dali, chartered by the Danish shipping company Maersk and en route from Baltimore to the Sri Lankan city of Colombo.
The ship, which can carry 10,000 20-foot shipping containers, was involved in an incident in 2016 in the Port of Antwerp in Belgium.
In that incident, the Dali suffered damage to the stern and transom after colliding with a portion of the stone loading dock at the port.
Managers of the ship revealed they're working with Baltimore officials to uncover what led to the crash.
"Whilst the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the 'Dali' has now mobilized its Qualified Individual Incident response team," the company said in a statement, according to French outlet Agence France-Presse.
The ship's management company, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, said the crew onboard dropped its anchor before impact as part of their emergency efforts to avoid the collision.
During a Tuesday morning press conference, Governor Wes Moore said the cargo ship's crew made a mayday call after losing propulsion ahead of the impact.
Moore said workers on the bridge stopped incoming traffic from continuing onto the bridge in a rapid response.
"These people are heroes," the governor said.
What we know so far...
- State officials believe the Dali cargo ship suffered some sort of power outage moments after setting sail from the Port of Baltimore.
- Ship crews onboard the Dali made a mayday call minutes before the vessel struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Governor Wes Moore confirmed.
- At least eight construction workers were on the bridge, making road repairs when the bridge collapsed.
- Two workers have been rescued, while another six remain unaccounted for.
- The FBI and Baltimore officials have ruled out any terror-related links to the incident.
- Infrared and sonar technology revealed that at least five vehicles are at the bottom of the Patapsco River.
BALTIMORE STRONG
The four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge was an essential piece of infrastructure in Maryland, dubbed as a major milestone in the state's transportation planning.
Construction of the bridge began in 1972 and opened for traffic on March 23, 1977.
The steel-arched bridge was considered an engineering marvel at the time.
The bridge was critical to Interstate 695, which carried north and southbound traffic around the city of Baltimore.
The structure spanned from the Patapsco River to Baltimore's Inner Harbor out to the Chesapeake Bay.
It was also used as an alternative route to connect drivers to Washington DC and parts of Pennsylvania.
About 30,000 Marylanders cross over the Key Bridge every day, Governor Moore said.
"To hear the words 'the Key Bridge has collapsed' is shocking, and heartbreaking."
The governor said reconstruction on the bridge will be a long-term build and declined to comment on when port operations will resume.
Moore said the bridge was fully up to code.
President Joe Biden said the federal government will pay for the bridge repair costs.
"As I told Governor Moore, I've directed my team to move heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge, as soon as humanly possible," the president said.
