BALTIMORE — A State of Emergency was declared in Maryland after the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday.
The collapse happened after a the Singaporean container ship DALI struck one of the bridge's support piers, resulting in a total collapse of the structure. several The collapse caused an unknown number of vehicles to plummet into the Patapsco River below. Rescue crews have been working throughout the day to save at least seven people.
Emergency calls were received around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a ship leaving Baltimore had struck a pier on the bridge, according to Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department.
Around 5:45 a.m., Maryland Governor Wes Moore released a statement about the collapse of the major bridge. He stated that his 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 crews are at the scene of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
He continued by stating that he has declared a State of Emergency in Maryland and they 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," Gov. Moore said. "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."
More than 30,000 vehicles traveled over Key Bridge every day, and cargo vessels carried millions of tons of cargo underneath every month.
In a statement Tuesday, President Biden said the Army Corps of Engineers was working to clear the shipping channel and reopen the Port of Baltimore to shipping traffic as quickly as possible.
"It handled a record-amount of cargo last year. It's the top port in America for both imports and exports of automobiles and light trucks. Around 850,000 vehicles go through that port every single year, and we're going to get it up and running again as soon as possible — 15,000 jobs depend on it," Biden said.
Live data from ship-tracking service Marine Traffic shows at least four cargo ships were docked at Baltimore Harbor as of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, including a Swedish vehicle carrier with a capacity of up to 7,800 vehicles. Another 12 vessels destined for Baltimore Harbor were anchored in Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Kent Island.
The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic. The container ship is about 985 feet (300 meters) long and about 157 feet (48 meters) wide, according to the website.
According to the ship-tracking service VesselFinder, the Dali was previously involved in a collision with a pier in Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016 that cause significant damage to the ship. No injuries were reported in connection with that collision.
The DALI had been chartered by the Danish shipping company Maersk. No Maersk crew or personnel were onboard.
RELATED: Cargo ship hits Baltimore's Key Bridge, bringing it down. At least 7 people believed to be in water
Watch Next: Key Bridge collapses due to ship strike
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