BALTIMORE (AP)-- A container ship lost power and rammed into a significant bridge in
Baltimore early Tuesday, causing the period to buckle into the river listed below and plunging a construction crew and a number of vehicles into the alarmingly cold waters. Rescuers pulled out two people, but six others were missing out on.
The ship's crew released a mayday call minutes before the crash removed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, allowing authorities to restrict vehicle traffic on the period, Maryland's guv said.
The ship struck among the bridge's supports, triggering the structure to collapse like a toy. It toppled into the water in a matter of seconds-- a stunning spectacle that was captured on video and posted on social media. The vessel ignited, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.
With the ship barreling toward the bridge at "a very, really rapid speed," authorities had just enough time to stop vehicles from coming over the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
" These people are heroes," Moore said. "They conserved lives last night."
The crash took place long before the busy morning commute on the bridge that stretches 1.6 miles (2.6 km).
The six individuals still unaccounted for were part of a building and construction team filling potholes on the bridge, said Paul Wiedefeld, the state's transport secretary. One of those saved was required to a medical facility, he stated.
The collapse is almost sure to produce a logistical headache for months, if not years, along the East Coast, closing down ship traffic at the Port of
Baltimore and snarling freight and commuter traffic.
Kevin Cartwright, director of interactions for the
Baltimore Fire Department, informed The Associated Press that a number of automobiles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, consisting of one the size of a tractor-trailer truck. When traffic would be lighter than during the day when thousands of vehicles pass through the span, the bridge came down in the middle of night.
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Synergy stated all crew members and the 2 pilots on board were accounted for, and there were no reports of any injuries.
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