A major bridge in the US city of Baltimore has collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship.
Footage Out
Dramatic footage showed a large section of the 2.6km Francis Scott Key Bridge toppling into the Patapsco River about 1.30am. The vessel appeared to strike one of the main beams at speed.
Rescue crews are attempting to save at least seven people from the water, Baltimore’s fire department told local radio. An “unknown number” of vehicles are in the water, it added.
The Maryland Transportation Authority said traffic was being rerouted, while the US coastguard confirmed the collision but did not give further details.
The vessel appeared to be a Singapore-flagged container vessel named The Dali. It departed Baltimore for Sri Lanka at 1am on Tuesday.
Construction Errors
The bridge lies on Maryland’s Interstate 695, which encircles Baltimore. It is the world’s third-longest continuous truss bridge.
In June, a bridge collapsed in Philadelphia after a lorry carrying 8,500 gallons of petrol crashed and caught fire on a major motorway used by about 160,000 people daily.
State authorities declared a state of emergency after the crash, which caused major disruption to traffic on the east coast and required a month of repairs.
Thirteen people were killed in a 2007 bridge collapse in Minnesota.
Investigators said the accident was caused by construction errors, causing the bridge to cave in.
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Source: The Guardian
