Officials in Baltimore, Maryland, are actively searching for six people following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday.
Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld said during a press conference on Tuesday morning that there were eight individuals believed to be working construction on the bridge at the time of the collapse caused by the shipping boat Dali.
"Six are being searched for right now," Wiedefeld said. "One was taken to a hospital and one is not in the hospital."
When asked about possible vehicles on the bridge at the time of the collapse, Wiedefeld said, "We believe it's the construction crew."
"No, we do not believe so," Wiedefeld said when asked about vehicles possibly being in the water following the collapse.
The context:
At around 1:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, the ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore causing it to collapse in the Patapsco River.
"At approximately 1:30 a cargo ship leaving the port of Baltimore struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge. This caused a catastrophic collapse of the bridge. First responders from the Maryland Transportation Authority, the toll authority, and our federal, state and local partners immediately responded to the scene," Wiedefeld said earlier on Tuesday.
"At this time, this is an active search and rescue mission."
What we know:
Officials have yet to reveal more detailed information about the bridge's collapse but noted that members of the ship issued a mayday alert after they suffered a power outage.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said during a press conference that the mayday alert helped officials stop the flow of traffic onto the bridge just before the collapse.
Officials noted that the bridge was up to code and that there is no information suggesting that this was an intended or terrorist attack.
Views:
In a post to X, formerly Twitter, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen said, "Awful, horrific news in Baltimore this AM. I'm praying for those who were on the bridge & thankful for emergency crews responding to this disaster."
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced a state of emergency in the city following the collapse.
"Baltimore, I am officially declaring a local state of emergency in response to the collapse of our Key Bridge. Our teams are mobilizing resources and working swiftly to address this crisis and ensure the safety and well-being of our community," the mayor wrote on X.
What's next:
During the press conference, officials said that they are still working on the investigation of how the incident occurred and continue their search and rescue missions for those unaccounted for.
Update 3/26/24, 10:32 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 3/26/24, 10:55 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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