Many casualties were feared after the famous Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed early on Tuesday, after a container ship collided with it, even as rescue operations began to save at least seven people feared to have fallen into the water.
Two people, one seriously injured and another reportedly unharmed, have been rescued.
Dramatic footage emerged online of the famous bridge collapsing after the ship closed in and then smashed into one of its columns.
Reports said multiple vehicles could have fallen into the water and that the Coast Guard had deployed several search and rescue mission teams.
The 948-foot ship, believed to be Singapore-flagged and named DALI, though the country it belongs to hasn’t been confirmed yet, crashed into the bridge at about 1:30am local time in what was said to be a mass casualty event. All crew members have been accounted for, agencies have reported.
Maryland State Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld stated that workers were there on the Francis Scott Key Bridge at the time of its collapse.
"We know there were individuals on the bridge at the time of the collapse, working on the bridge, contractors for us," he said.
A maritime tracking website showed the ship at Baltimore and headed for Colombo in Sri Lanka.
Officials of the Baltimore City Fire Department said water temperatures at the spot were around –1 degrees C.
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