This is a breaking story, so the 24-hour rule applies: All reports within the first 24 hours are suspect. But we will strive to give you the most accurate information.
We are just getting news tonight that the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore (usually just called the Key Bridge) has collapsed after it was struck by a cargo ship.
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses after being struck by ship https://t.co/9GvOB8rF1Q pic.twitter.com/nEQDpnYXyM
— New York Post (@nypost) March 26, 2024
Indeed, Sarah Fields has video:
Breaking - A cargo ship has hit the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore. It caught fire before sinking and causing multiple vehicles to fall into the water below.
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) March 26, 2024
pic.twitter.com/v24fuckDSC
We won’t lie. This author found himself taken back to September 11, 2001, watching it. She goes on:
Update - It is being seen as a mass casualty incident with over a dozen vehicles and many individuals said to be in the water.
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) March 26, 2024
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) March 26, 2024
Early reports for emergency services are saying the ship had a mechanical issue and lost all steering.
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) March 26, 2024
Of course, we will remind you that we have been through enough breaking news events to know that we can’t trust immediate reports like that. Some have speculated that it looks intentional, but it’s just that: Speculation. We will wait for more time and evidence on that.
And we concur with her that it sure as heck looks like an unknown number of vehicles crashed into the water. This author doesn’t go that way very often but we suspect that even at the time of the accident (reported later in this piece as after 1:30 a.m. eastern time), there is a decent amount of traffic on that bridge.
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There are additional details in the New York Post article:
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses after being struck by ship, mass casualty declared
A mass casualty event has been declared after a bridge in Baltimore, Md., was struck by a container ship Tuesday morning.
Horror footage shows the moment the Francis Scott Key Bridge crumbled after a vessel crashed into the central part of the structure.
The steel arches then instantly dismantled into the Patapsco River shortly before 1:30 a.m.
They add that this bridge is part of I-695, which locals know to be a pretty significant artery around the city.
Johnny Olszewski Jr., who is the Baltimore County Executive, wrote the following in Twitter/X:
I am aware of the situation at the Key Bridge and remain in regular communication with my Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Operations.
— Johnny Olszewski, Jr. (@JohnnyOJr) March 26, 2024
I’m also in contact w/ the Mayor of Baltimore and the Anne Arundel Co. Exec.
Rescue efforts are underway. Please pray for those impacted.
We also heard from the mayor:
I'm aware of and en route to the incident at the Key Bridge. I have been in contact with @BaltimoreFire Chief Wallace, @GovWesMoore @JohnnyOJr, and @AACoExec. Emergency personnel are on scene, and efforts are underway.
— Brandon M. Scott (@MayorBMScott) March 26, 2024
We also saw this:
The Volunteer Firefighters from @jmvfc8, the Volunteer Swift Water Team and the @HarfordCoDES Special Operations Team are assisting the Unified Command at the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. pic.twitter.com/ipoTR2HljY
— Harford Co., MD Fire & EMS (@HarforCoFireEMS) March 26, 2024
There is also what appears to be a live stream of the scene, but we honestly can’t make out very much as of this writing, here:
Raw Alerts has another angle on the collapse, with a language warning (because someone is saying ‘what the f—k?').
🚨#BREAKING: Mass Casualty has been Declared after a Large Container Ship Collides with Key Bridge Causing it completely Collapse⁰
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 26, 2024
📌#Baltimore | #Maryland
Currently, numerous agencies, including the Coast Guard and fire department have just declared a mass casualty incident as… pic.twitter.com/wvOTOVbvHE
(The cut off text doesn't add any information that you didn't know by now.)
🚨#UPDATE: The container ship that struck the Francis Scott Keys Bridge via Vessel Finder. The Dali is out of Singapore pic.twitter.com/XehWzd8tgs
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 26, 2024
The AP reports they are trying to rescue at least seven people:
BREAKING: Authorities say they are trying to rescue at least seven people after Baltimore bridge collapse. https://t.co/IAvCFPtb8Q
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 26, 2024
But we don’t trust breaking reports like this too much. We’ve been through enough breaking stories to assume almost all reports this close to the incident are going to be at least a little off.
And while traffic effects are not the most important issue right now, we find this thread on the subject to be credible:
2/This will have an especially significant impact on local areas near the bridge that have relied on it for nearly 50 years for connectivity to adjacent areas. Commuters, warehouse operations, shipping, etc will all face significant impacts for as long as reconstruction takes.
— Dave Troy (@davetroy) March 26, 2024
4/Restrictions on materials which may be transported through the Ft. McHenry Tunnel meant the Key Bridge absorbed much of that cargo. Now, such traffic will likely be diverted around the west of the beltway, a much longer route with heavier traffic.https://t.co/lKziDitWbf pic.twitter.com/lpfRe5KLvu
— Dave Troy (@davetroy) March 26, 2024
Setting aside the human tragedy, The Port of Baltimore will be offline for some period of time. Days? Weeks?
— joshua steinman (🇺🇸,🇺🇸) (@JoshuaSteinman) March 26, 2024
As one of the largest in the country, will have significant impact on the economy.
Lots of questions need thorough answers.
And, of course, we already got politics:
What happens when your government spends all its public money on war & Big Pharma instead of infrastructure: Ship collides with Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse pic.twitter.com/kZiadhZvPJ
— Robin Monotti (@robinmonotti) March 26, 2024
Bluntly, we don’t think even a brand new bridge could easily withstand a hit that hard. So it seems unlikely to be related to a shortage of money. Brian Stelter also made a similar point:
The Baltimore bridge collapse will have ripple effects for months; likely years. The entryway to a major American port will be frozen for quite some time. And the video of the collapse will be seared into everyone's brains. Infrastructure will be top of mind again.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 26, 2024
Of course, people will need to repair or replace the destroyed bridge and we wouldn't be surprised if they have to pull the debris out of the water, but if he thinks this means we don’t spend enough on infrastructure in general, that seems to be a misplaced claim.
And of course, this person makes a valid point on a different political issue:
Exactly
— joshua steinman (🇺🇸,🇺🇸) (@JoshuaSteinman) March 26, 2024
Certainly, we can’t assume that DIE (Diversity Inclusion and Equity) or any other kind of unlawful or immoral discrimination was involved. But we can’t assume it wasn’t. For instance, while the ship appears to be from Singapore, who was maintaining it here in America, and at other locations around the world? So, while we won’t assume DIE was involved, we won’t rule it out, either. We simply don’t know.
Another video:
Longer video of collapse of main span of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after a cargo ship apparently hit a support column.
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) March 26, 2024
It appears there were multiple construction vehicles on the bridge at the time.
(Video playing in 2x) pic.twitter.com/4w0js50cvc
And some photos (the post was sent to me via our own Amy Curtis):
More photos of the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse. pic.twitter.com/DLohYg9f45
— Andrew Doyle (@doyle0213) March 26, 2024
In any case, give the story some time. Hopefully the officials on the scene will handle the aftermath as best as they can and time will tell on the cause. We are almost certainly going to have additional articles on this as information comes out.
And, of course, pray for the safe recovery of as many victims as possible.
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