Breaking: Baltimore Tragedy: Mass Casuality As Bridge Hit By Ship Collapses Into River

A bridge in the US city of Baltimore has entirely collapsed into the Patapsco River after being hit by a container ship

Up to 20 people and several vehicles have fallen into the river, says Baltimore City Fire Department who are currently at the scene.

The fire department says a large vessel hit a column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge at around 01:30 ET (05:30 GMT)Videos on social media appear to show the bridge entirely descending into the water.

A number of casualties have been reported and there is now a large multi-agency rescue and recovery operation under way.

Baltimore port is largest in US for specialised cargoData from MarineTraffic, a ship tracking platform, shows a lot of congestion in the area around the bridge, with increased traffic of anchored vessels further south, between the city of Annapolis and Kent Island.

The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is the largest port in the US for specialised cargo (specifically for wheeled cargo, such as trucks and trailers) and bulk handling facilities.

It is estimated that around 800,000 vehicles passed through the port in 2023, moving a record 1.3 million tons of imported cargo.

Source : BBC.co