Bridge collapses in US city of Baltimore after ship collision

A major bridge in the US city of Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

Rescuers were searching for at least seven people in the water.

The vessel appears to have hit one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the roadway to break apart in several places and plunge into the water.

“This is a dire emergency,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”

He added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge.

Emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Cartwright said, though he said it’s too early to know how many people were affected. He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”

He said agencies received emergency calls around 1:30 am reporting that a ship leaving Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge.

Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.

Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.