The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, has collapsed after a large container boat collided with it early this morning.
Reports came in around 1:40am Tuesday that a large vessel crashed into a column in the central part of the bridge carrying north and southbound lanes of Interstate 695, catching on fire before causing multiple vehicles to fall into the Patapsco River below.
Authorities say multiple agencies are conducting search and rescue efforts by air and water, which are expected to last throughout the day.
The Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X around 2 a.m. that all lanes were closed in both directions for an “incident” on the bridge, and later posted that traffic was being detoured to Interstate 95 and Interstate 895, the department said.
In brief remarks at the press conference, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said his office will “continue to work in partnership with every part of government to do everything we can to get us through the other side of this tragedy.”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said on Facebook that he has declared a state of emergency, and that his office is working with the Biden Administration to quickly deploy federal resources.
You can see footage of the incident happening below.