A dramatic scene unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday morning as a major bridge carrying Interstate 95 traffic over the Patapsco River in Baltimore partially collapsed after being struck by a large container ship. Eyewitness videos captured the stunning moment when a section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge crumbled into the waterway below, sending at least seven people and multiple vehicles plunging into the river.
Catastrophic Collapse Caught on Camera
Footage of the catastrophic bridge failure showed the ship violently impacting the steel girder structure, causing a roughly 200-foot section to break away and crash into the Patapsco. Thick plumes of dust and debris filled the air as concrete deck sections disintegrated and twisted steel beams fell into the river with tragic consequences.
“As many as seven individuals and several vehicles have fallen into the river,” Baltimore City Fire Department spokesperson Kevin Cartwright grimly confirmed to the BBC. A massive multi-agency rescue operation involving marine units, dive teams, and emergency responders on both shores immediately swung into action in a desperate bid to locate and rescue any survivors.
Key Route Severed, Traffic Snarled
The Francis Scott Key Bridge carries the critical Interstate 95 highway across the river, providing a vital transportation link along the densely populated Boston-Richmond corridor of the Eastern Seaboard. With the bridge rendered impassable and completely shut down in both directions, significant traffic disruptions rippled across the Baltimore region as commuters were forced to divert to alternate routes through the city or via tunnel under the harbor.
“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority announced via social media as efforts began to manage the transit chaos.
Local Leaders Respond to Unfolding Tragedy
News of the shocking bridge calamity immediately captured attention at the highest levels as regional leaders rushed to the scene and issued statements. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said he was “en route to the incident at the Key Bridge” and that “emergency personnel are on scene, and efforts are underway.”
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. urged residents to “pray for those impacted,” confirming he was coordinating with officials in Baltimore and neighboring Anne Arundel County where rescue teams had also been deployed.
While no definitive information on casualties was available in the immediate aftermath, Baltimore police said some workers were likely among the victims who ended up in the water when the bridge fell.
Bridge Vulnerability Exposed
The dramatic failure exposed the vulnerability of aging infrastructure across the United States. While the cause of the catastrophic collapse remained under investigation, the video evidence clearly showed the bridge buckled after taking a direct blow from the ship’s hull or protruding container loads.
Striking a bridge of such a scale would be expected to do significant damage, according to structural engineers. However, the extent of the Key Bridge’s disintegration raised concerns about its structural integrity and resilience to accidental strikes before its eventual replacement or refit.
As dawn broke over the scene of the latest U.S. civil engineering disaster, rescue teams working around the clock still held out hope of finding and saving anyone who may have survived the terrifying plunge into the cold river waters below the shattered remains of the Key Bridge span. A complex investigation into determining responsibility and preventing future tragedies also lay ahead.
