BALTIMORE — A large container ship slammed into a heavily travelled bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River below.
Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers said at a press conference that 8 people were on the bridge at the time of collapse.
Two people have been pulled from the waters under the Francis Scott Key Bridge of the Baltimore Beltway, one reported as in serious condition, according to Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace.
Just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, the R Adams Cowley Shock Center announced a patient admitted from the incident had been discharged.
The search continued for the other six people into the afternoon. Authorities were able to detect three passenger vehicles, a cement truck, and another vehicle in the water using infrared and sonar.
Late Tuesday, authorities confirmed that the remaining six people were conducting road work on the bridge at the time of the collapse. The workers are presumed dead, and the search for them was suspended Tuesday night. The search and rescue mission, according to the superintendent of the Maryland State Police, would transition to a search and recovery mission Wednesday morning.
On Wednesday evening, Maryland State Police announced they had recovered two of the victims.
Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk, lost their lives in the collapse, according to State Police.
The cargo ship crashed into one of the bridge's supports during the middle of night when traffic would be expected to be lighter, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The vessel caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.
“Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of an action movie,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy."
Sonar indicated that there were vehicles in the water, where the temperature was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, said that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.
He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event,” though he didn't know at the time how many people were affected.
Cartwright added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge, which spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to a busy harbor. The river leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for shipping on the East Coast. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said he was working to get federal resources deployed. The FBI was also on the scene.
Synergy Marine Group confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while two local pilots were in control. It said all crew members, including the pilots, were accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries.
Local pilots are used specifically to navigate ships in and out of the Port of Baltimore.
From a vantage point near the entrance to the bridge, jagged remnants of its steel frame were visible protruding from the water, with the on-ramp ending abruptly where the span once began.
A vessel called Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, as its final destination, according to Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder. The ship was flying under a Singapore flag, WTOP radio station reported, citing Petty Officer Matthew West from the Coast Guard in Baltimore.
During a press conference Tuesday morning, Governor Wes Moore said the preliminary investigation into the crash and collapse suggests it was accidental.
"The preliminary investigation points to an accident. We haven't seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack," Moore said.
The Governor says authorities are currently working to gather more details.
In a national address Tuesday, President Joe Biden said he will visit Baltimore as quickly as possible. The President also announced his intention to have the federal government bear the full cost of rebuilding the bridge.
"It's my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge," Biden said from the White House. "I expect the Congress to support my effort — this is going to take some time."
Update:
On Friday, April 5th, it was announced that a third victim of the bridge collapse had been located and recovered by Unified Command.
Officials say they recovered 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval. Suazo-Sandoval was one of the six construction workers on the bridge at the time of the collapse.
Governor Wes Moore released in a statement on Friday night in response to the successful recovery mission,"On the night of the collapse, these men were engaged in challenging, dangerous work – tending to our state’s infrastructure for our collective benefit. They hailed from communities that have gone long overlooked and underappreciated. But their work had dignity – and their contributions will never be forgotten".
