In a twist on the old nursery rhyme, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland is now the one falling down.
A portion of the iconic structure plummeted into the Patapsco River at roughly 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning after a large container ship collided with one of the bridge’s support beams.
In the city of Baltimore, a bridge has collapsed entirely into the Patapsco River following a collision with a cargo ship.
— Morbid Knowledge (@Morbidful) March 26, 2024
According to the Baltimore City Fire Department, up to 20 individuals and multiple vehicles have plunged into the river.
Emergency responders are… pic.twitter.com/1pfMCwZAjo
The column snapped and bucked upon impact with the ship —which is said to have lost power — sending a part of the bridge, several drivers and cars into the water below, per local news outlet Fox 5 DC.
"We may be looking for upwards of seven individuals, that's the latest information we have,” James Wallace, Baltimore City’s Fire Chief, said of their “active search and rescue” efforts involving the Coast Guard.
Two people have been rescued and a search is ongoing after a cargo ship struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 26, 2024
"We are firstly and mainly concerned about those that we know are in the water and every thing else is secondary to that," Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott says. pic.twitter.com/RC4OOpB6SB
Approximately two people have been rescued from the ordeal so far, one of which remains in "very serious" condition, according to Wallace .
We can only hope that these survivors make a speedy recovery — and that future engineers pay a little more attention during their middle school toothpick bridge-building activitiy.
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