Early Tuesday morning, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore suffered a collapse following a collision with a sizable ship. As captured in footage, the Maryland Transportation Authority has confirmed that all traffic is being rerouted, though it remains uncertain if there were any injuries resulting from the incident. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a social media post around 3:00 a.m. that he was en route to the incident at the bridge. Emergency personnel are on the scene, and efforts are underway.
In the video footage, a towering boat is seen bearing down directly towards one of the bridge's support columns before crashing into it, causing a substantial section of the bridge to plummet into the water below. Within seconds, the force of the impact swiftly led to the collapse of neighboring segments of the bridge. The crash sent large plumes of smoke and fire into the air, and part of the bridge appeared to collapse over the front of the boat. Video footage showed dark smoke continuing to rise into the air for several minutes.
The 1.6-mile, 4-lane bridge extends over the Patapsco River and serves as the outermost crossing of the Baltimore Harbor and the essential link of Interstate 695, or the Baltimore Beltway. Its namesake, Francis Scott Key, is believed to have sat near the sight of the bridge as he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814, inspiring him to write the words of the Star-Spangled Banner.
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