Watch: "Mass Casualty" Event Unfolds as Baltimore Bridge Collapses Following Ship Collision

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland collapsed during the early-morning hours of Tuesday, March 26 after being struck by a container ship. “All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority said.

Multiple vehicles were on the bridge when the accident occurred. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” said Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department. He described the situation as a “developing mass casualty event,” but said it was too early to determine how many people were on the bridge at the time of its collapse.

Rescue efforts have intensified with workers now focusing on locating between 7 and 20 construction workers believed to have been on the bridge at the time of the incident. The scope of the disaster expanded as details emerged about the vessel involved, the Singapore-flagged container ship Dali, which was en route from Baltimore to Sri Lanka when it struck a bridge column. The collision resulted in significant damage to the ship, including what is suspected to be a hull breach. Cartwright described the situation as a "developing mass casualty event."

The incident was first reported to emergency services around 1:30 a.m., with callers stating that a vessel departing from Baltimore had collided with a bridge column. At the time of the collision, several vehicles were present on the bridge.