A State of Emergency has been declared in Maryland after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore.
Per a regional report from Michelle Deal-Zimmerman and Hayes Gardner for the Baltimore Sun, the bridge collapsed into the cold waters of the Patapsco River Tuesday morning after being hit by a container ship.
Speaking to reporters, James Wallace, chief of the Baltimore City Fire Department, said that it was initially believed that "a portion" of the bridge had collapsed. However, "a complete collapse" was confirmed once officers started arriving on the scene.
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"We were able to remove two people from the water," Wallace said early Tuesday. "One individual refused service and refused transport. Essentially, that person was not injured. However, there is another individual that’s been transported to the local trauma center that’s in very serious condition."
Wallace also confirmed that "at least seven" people had fallen into the water, though he also pointed out the "dynamic" nature of that estimate, noting that it was as high as 20 earlier into the multi-agency response. Notably, search-and-rescue operations remained in progress at the time of this writing.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced the State of Emergency declaration Tuesday morning, adding that his office was in communication with federal, state, and local officials.
Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, confirmed his department’s involvement in the bridge collapse response. In a Twitter update of his own, Buttigieg said that rescue efforts remained "underway."
Overnight, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who also spoke at Tuesday morning’s press conference, said that he was "aware of and en route to the incident." He also reiterated the multi-agency collaboration at the center of rescue operations.
As for the container ship, an Associated Press report points to Synergy Marine Group as the owner of a vessel known as Dali. The ship is said to have struck part of the bridge at around 1:30 a.m. local time. Meanwhile, a WTOP update cited a Coast Guard officer and location data when reporting that Dali’s final planned stop was Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Complex has reached out to the Baltimore City Fire Department, Maryland Transportation Authority Police, the Baltimore City Police Department, and Synergy Marine Group for comment. This story may be updated.
