A major bridge in Baltimore, on the east coast of the United States, collapsed. early Tuesday morning after having been there. hit by a ship, taking vehicles and around twenty people with it. “We know there are up to 20 people in the Patapsco River right now, along with several vehicles,” Kevin Cartwright of the Baltimore Fire Department told CNN Television.< /p> The Maryland State Transportation Authority (MTA) said a vessel struck the bridge. “We were woken up by a kind of earthquake and a long, resounding crash,” said a local resident, whose windows overlook the bridge, quoted by CNN. Dramatic surveillance video footage shows what appears to be a container ship hitting a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to fall into the river along with much of it of the metal structure of the work. We see lights that appear to be those of vehicles on the bridge, before it distorts and falls in pieces. UNITED STATES © AFP – STAFF “We believe vehicles and possibly a tractor-trailer fell into the water,” Kevin Cartwight also told the Baltimore Sun, adding that “the entire bridge” had collapsed. A Baltimore police spokeswoman also told NBC that it was possible that people had fallen into the river. “I can confirm that at 1:35 a.m. Baltimore City Police were notified of a partial collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and that workers may be in the water,” said Niki Fennoy. – Crucial road axis – The 2.6 km long four-lane bridge spans the Patapsco River southwest of Baltimore, a large American industrial and port city, in the state of Maryland, approximately 60 kilometers northeast of Washington. It is located on a crucial north/south axis for transportation and the economy of the east coast of the United States. It is named after a native son, Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics to the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. All Access to the bridge was blocked by a large deployment of police forces, noted an AFP journalist on site. The maritime traffic monitoring site MarineTraffic showed a Singapore-flagged container ship named Dali stopped under the bridge early Tuesday. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr both indicated that rescue operations were underway. “Pray for those affected,” Mr. Olszewski said on the social network X. All rights of reproduction and representation reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse
By Teilor Stone
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116