Many people and vehicles have fallen into the water as the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed after a ship collided with it.
The Maryland Transportation Authority confirmed the incident early Tuesday, saying; “I-695 Key Bridge collapse due to ship strike.”
It urged drivers to avoid the route over the Patapsco River, which it called an “active scene”.
Earlier, the MTA had said interstate lanes in both directions were closed due to an “incident” on the bridge and that traffic was being redirected.
Footage showed many vehicles falling from the bridge following the collision as Baltimore’s fire service said emergency teams were searching for at least seven people.
Chief Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore City Fire Department, said its main focus right now was “trying to rescue and recover these people”.
He said it was too early to know how many people were affected, but described the collapse as a “developing mass casualty event”.
Mr Cartwright said it appears there were “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge,” creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency service workers were operating cautiously as a result. This is a dire emergency,” he added.
The container ship, named the Dali, was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka, when the collision occurred.
According to data from MarineTraffic, the Singapore-flagged vessel stopped at the bridge following the incident.
Around 10 minutes later, the first ship to reach the scene was the tug Eric Mcallister, as indicated by the data.
The bridge, constructed in 1977, crosses the Patapsco River, a crucial waterway that, along with the Port of Baltimore, serves as a central point for shipping along the US east coast. It is named after the author of the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.
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