Following the collapse of a bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday, Newsweek has mapped the locations of some similar incidents that have happened around the world.
A container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore at around 1:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, causing it to snap in several places and fall into the Patapsco River below, bringing several vehicles with it. A rescue effort is currently underway.
Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said two people were pulled from the water under the bridge, one in a serious condition, The Associated Press reported.
Wallace said authorities "may be looking for upwards of seven people," but said that number could change.
Data from Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder revealed that a ship under the name Dali was traveling from the port of Baltimore to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.
Bridge Collapses Around the World
Throughout history, there have been many instances of bridges collapsing, resulting in fatalities and injuries. Some of the failures have been due to poor construction and have been a disaster waiting to happen. Others have collapsed because of old age or a collision.
Here are examples of bridges that have collapsed for a variety of reasons around the world:
Whangaehu River Rail Bridge in New Zealand, 1953: On Christmas Eve in 1953, a Wellington-to-Auckland express passenger train with 285 passengers and crew onboard approached the Whangaehu River Rail Bridge in rural Tangiwai, New Zealand. Minutes earlier, a volcanic mudslide from nearby Mount Ruapehu had undermined a portion of the bridge, and six rail carriages plunged into the river. In total, 151 passengers and crew died.
Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida, 1980: On May 9, 1980, the 609-foot freighter Summit Venture was navigating through the shipping channel of Florida's Tampa Bay when a sudden, blinding squall knocked out the ship's radar. The ship sheared off a support of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, dropping a 1,400-foot section of concrete roadway during the morning rush hour. Seven vehicles, including a bus with 26 people aboard, fell 150 feet into the water, resulting in 35 deaths.
Seeber Bridge in New Orleans, 1993: On May 28, 1993 the towboat Chris, pushing the empty hopper barge DM3021, hit a support tier of the Judge William Seeber Bridge in New Orleans. Two spans a collapsed onto the barge. Two cars carrying three people fell with the four-lane bridge deck into a canal. One person died and two people were seriously injured.
Big Bayou Canot in Alabama, 1993: On September 22, 1,993 barges being pushed by a towboat in dense fog hit and displaced the Big Bayou Canot railroad bridge near Mobile, Alabama. Minutes later, an Amtrak train with 220 people aboard reached the displaced bridge and derailed, killing 47 people and injuring 103.
Eads Bridge in Missouri, 1998: On April 14, 1998, the Anne Holly tow traveling through the St. Louis Harbor rammed into the center span of the Eads Bridge. Eight barges broke away. Three of them hit a permanently moored gambling vessel below the bridge. Fifty people suffered minor injuries.
Queen Isabella Causeway in Texas, 2001: On September 15, 2001, a tugboat and barge struck the Queen Isabella Causeway in Port Isabel, Texas, causing a midsection of the bridge to tumble 80 feet into the bay below. Eight people died after motorists drove into the gap.
Pakistan, 2006: In August 2006 at least 40 people died as monsoon rains washed away a bridge in Mardan, 30 miles from Peshawar in the northwest of the country.
China, 2007: In August 2007 at least 64 workers were killed when a river bridge in China's central Hunan province collapsed as they were completing its construction.
I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minnesota, 2007: On August 1, 2007, the bridge suddenly collapsed as adjoining sections of it crumbled. Commuters in 111 vehicles and 18 construction workers fell about 115 feet into the river and onto its banks. The accident killed 13 people and resulted in 145 injuries. According to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation, the bridge's metal gusset plates were too thin to support the weight of the span, along with rush-hour traffic and the construction equipment on the deck at the time of the accident
Popp's Ferry Bridge in Mississippi, 2009: On March 20, 2009, a vessel pushing eight barges rammed into the Popp's Ferry Bridge in Biloxi, Mississippi, resulting in a 150-foot section of the bridge collapsing into the bay.
India, 2011, 2016 and 2022: In late 2011, two bridges collapsed within a week of each other—one near the hill town of Darjeeling in the northeast, the other over a river in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. Over 60 people were killed in total.
In March 2016, the collapse of a flyover onto a busy street in Kolkata killed at least 26 people. In 2022, at least 137 people, including nearly 50 children, were killed after a 150-year-old suspension bridge collapsed in Gujarat state days after reopening following renovations.
The Morandi Bridge in Italy, 2018: In August 2018, the collapse of a bridge in the Italian city of Genoa killed 43 people. The Morandi Bridge, part of a key highway connecting France and Italy, gave way during torrential rain, sending dozens of vehicles and their passengers into the void left behind.
Mexico, 2021: An elevated section of track on the Mexico City metro system collapsed in May, 2021, bringing a passenger train crashing down, killing 26 people and injuring dozens. An investigation concluded that the accident was caused both by structural flaws and a lack of maintenance.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
