Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency following the collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning.

Baltimore Bridge Collapses After Being Struck By Cargo Ship, Mass Casualty Event

“I have declared a State of Emergency here in Maryland and we are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration,” Moore said in a press release.

“My office is in close communication with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, and the Baltimore Fire Department as emergency personnel are on the scene following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” he added.

“We will remain in close contact with federal, state, and local entities that are carrying out rescue efforts as we continue to assess and respond to this tragedy,” Moore added.

Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed overnight after being struck by a cargo ship around 1:30 a.m.

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“At least 7 people are missing after cargo ship appears to lose power & slam into the support beam of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The ship was being piloted by a local pilot who specializes in moving in and out of the Port of Baltimore. Two people have been rescued from the river. One was uninjured and the other is in ‘very serious condition’ in the hospital. The ship is a Singapore-flagged container ship, the Dali,” Collin Rugg writes.

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“Video seems to show repeated power losses on ship just before it destroyed Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton noted.

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CBS News reports:

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday after a column was hit by a large container ship after the vessel lost power, sending vehicles and people into the Patapsco River, authorities said.

Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace told reporters Tuesday morning the scene was “an active search and rescue.” The Coast Guard was taking part.

“We may be looking for upwards of seven individuals, that’s the latest information we have.” He said the search was being conducted on and in the water and on the ship’s deck. He said sonar has detected vehicles in the river.

Wallace said at least two people have been rescued from the water — one wasn’t hurt and one was in “very serious” condition. The injured person was being treated at the University of Maryland Medical Center and had been unable to speak to investigators so far, officials said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency, saying in a statement that “we are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration. We are thankful for the brave men and women who are carrying out efforts to rescue those involved and pray for everyone’s safety.”

“Here’s a daylight video of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed last night, just to give you some perspective on how big of a tragedy this truly is,” Vince Langman wrote.

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“This is a MAJOR infrastructure hit. The Port of Baltimore is the major port serving Baltimore and Washington DC. All of the shipping north of the bridge is now trapped in place. No other shipping can get in. The tunnel shown has height and hazardous cargo restrictions, it can’t take the heavy trucking traffic that used the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which took YEARS to build back in the 1970s,” Matt Bracken commented.

“In several Angles of CCTV Footage from this morning’s Collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland; the Singaporean-Flagged Cargo Ship, M/V Dali which has been Identified as the Ship which Impacted the Bridge, can be seen suffering a Total Loss of Power at least Twice before the Crash,” Open Source Intelligence Monitor writes.

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From Business Insider:

The vessel is the Dali, a Singapore-flagged container ship about 984 feet long, and 157 feet wide, per a listing on VesselFinder.

An unclassified Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency report said that the ship “lost propulsion” as it was leaving port, ABC News reported.

The crew notified officials that they had lost control and warned of a possible collision, the report said, per ABC News.

The Dali’s owner is listed as Grace Ocean, a Singapore-based firm, and its manager is listed as Synergy Marine, which is also headquartered in Singapore.

Shipping news outlet TradeWinds reported that Grace Ocean confirmed the Dali was involved in the collapse, but is still determining what caused the crash.

Staff for Grace Ocean declined to comment on the collision when contacted by Business Insider.

“All crew members, including the two pilots have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries. There has also been no pollution,” Synergy Marine said in a statement.

The company did not respond to BI’s request for comment.

Maersk chartered the Dali, with a schedule for the ship on its website.

“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” the Danish shipping company said in a statement.

 

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