Baltimore Key Bridge collapse live updates: Search ongoing for 6 missing

2 min

A major bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being hit by a freighter at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, sending at least eight people from a construction crew into the water as a large section of the bridge crashed into the Patapsco River. The container ship, traveling at a relatively rapid speed of about eight knots, lost power in the moments before it struck the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said at a news conference.

Moore said there is no evidence the collapse was linked to terrorist activity. Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating and will hold a news conference this afternoon.

Key updates

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President Biden said at a midafternoon address that the federal government will pay for the cost to rebuild the crumpled bridge and called on Congress to support his plans. The key priority is search and rescue, Biden said, but he said officials will work to rebuild and reopen the Baltimore port “as soon as humanly possible.” He said 15,000 jobs depend on the port.

Moore said a preliminary investigation indicates “an accident” and that there is no evidence of a terrorist attack. The governor declared a state of emergency and said he was working with federal agencies to deploy resources for the response. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) announced that the city has deployed its emergency operations plan.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said a construction crew was on the bridge at the time it collapsed. The workers were repairing potholes and masonry. Wiedefeld said officials think eight members of that crew fell into the water. Two have been rescued.

Cold and murky waters made rescue conditions difficult overnight, said Kevin Cartwright, the Baltimore Fire Department’s communications director. He told The Washington Post earlier that as many as 20 people could be in the water. The Fire Department described the collapse as a “mass casualty incident.”

Federal Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg offered the department’s support to Baltimore authorities, and the National Transportation Safety Board announced the launch of a “go team” to investigate the collapse. The freighter is a Singapore-flagged vessel, the 948-foot Dali.

Vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore was “suspended until further notice.” The Maryland Transportation Authority closed Interstate 695 in both directions.