Baltimore, MD - Container Ship Strikes Francis Scott Key Bridge - Mass Casualty Situation

[Elley Mae]

Baltimore bridge collapse live updates: Ship lost propulsion, warned of collision, officials say

Cargo ship company says all crew members safe

A container ship struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday.

abcnews.go.com

 

[Jsizzle]

This is local to me. I actually live right next to the Bay Bridge. This is horrific on so many levels.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[Elley Mae]

Ship lost propulsion before it smashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge; 20 people missing

Ship sent ‘mayday’ warning before Baltimore bridge disaster as officials scrambled to halt traffic: ‘Saved lots of lives’

Six people still remain missing after multiple vehicles plunged into the chilly waters of the Patapsco River as the bridge crumbled.

nypost.com

 

[Soulmagent]

And I first thought of the Tay Bridge disaster, also a railway bridge and due to flawed bridge design. Tay Bridge disaster
I can't imagine the terror being on the bridge and knowing ...
MOO

In Baltimore it seems there may be a couple of survivors? Can only pray.

Edited to add: When I saw the video of Baltimore bridge collapsing, I was shocked. I thought 'This can't be happening'. Sadly I was wrong.

I can relate. I felt it to ! Accept my husband told me it was a different bridge So I got a odd since of relief until I reprocessed . So unbelievable. My part of the east coast will feel the affects of this. On a traffic level.

 

[aliciaJ87]

<modsnip: quoted post was not an approved source>
Sitting here watching trying to count the vehicles on the bridge right before it hit. Impossible I know, but hoping for it to be less than what they’re estimating.

 

[Vaderman]

It's unreal how easily the bridge collapsed. Usually it seems the initial news reports inflate death tolls in these events. Here's hoping the initial "20 missing" continues to update towards "all safely accounted for".

 

[iamshadow21]

Ship lost propulsion before it smashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge; 20 people missing

Ship sent ‘mayday’ warning before Baltimore bridge disaster as officials scrambled to halt traffic: ‘Saved lots of lives’

Six people still remain missing after multiple vehicles plunged into the chilly waters of the Patapsco River as the bridge crumbled.

nypost.com

If the flashing orange lights in that video central on the bridge surface are the hazard flashers of the road crew.... I can't see how any of them could have survived.

Whatever the final toll number turns out to be, it's going to be awful.

Thank goodness for those pulled alive from the water, and that the ship's crew was unharmed. It sounds like the ship tried to call for help but there was nothing that could be done, it all happened too swiftly. Looking at those closeup photos of the ship afterwards, it's only luck someone on board wasn't killed, or that the whole thing didn't sink or was engulfed in flames. My heart goes out to them.

MOO

 

[Elley Mae]

Large amazon center that sits on keith ave just behind seagirt marine terminal, that will probably be effected as well.

 

[Dotta]

"The bridge collapse will have a particularly large effect on coal exports.

The Port of Baltimore loaded 2.4mn t of coal in February, up from 2.1mn t a year earlier, according to analytics firm Kpler,
mostly exports to India and China,
and two of the US Atlantic coast's five coal terminals are in Baltimore."

Baltimore bridge collapses after ship collision: Update | Latest Market News

A bridge across a major trading waterway in the US city of Baltimore, Maryland, has completely collapsed after being hit by a container ship early today, Tuesday.

www.argusmedia.com

 

[Elley Mae]

"The bridge collapse will have a particularly large effect on coal exports.

The Port of Baltimore loaded 2.4mn t of coal in February, up from 2.1mn t a year earlier, according to analytics firm Kpler,
mostly exports to India and China,
and two of the US Atlantic coast's five coal terminals are in Baltimore."

Baltimore bridge collapses after ship collision: Update | Latest Market News

A bridge across a major trading waterway in the US city of Baltimore, Maryland, has completely collapsed after being hit by a container ship early today, Tuesday.

www.argusmedia.com

Know that too well, daughter used to live in brewers hill and I would get stuck waiting for trains as they brought car after car or coal.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The steel bridge is one of the Baltimore harbor’s three toll crossings. It’s located on the I-695 outer-harbor crossing. It’s part of a 10.9 miles long beltway span including a dual-span drawbridge over Curtis Creek and two parallel bridge structures carrying traffic over Bear Creek, according to MDTA.

The bridge, which cost about $110 million in the 1970s, was seen as an efficient alternative because it has lower operating and maintenance cost as well as more traffic lanes than the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel.

The bridge carried more than 12.4 million commercial and passenger vehicles in 2023, according to a Maryland state government report issued last November.

The Key Bridge allows wide loads and hazardous material that can’t go through the Harbor Tunnel or Fort McHenry Tunnel. Currently, vehicles transporting hazardous materials are prohibited in tunnels and “should use the western section of I-695 around tunnels,” the MDTA posted on social media.

Key Bridge collapse: What we know about structure’s history, traffic

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning after a support column was struck by a vessel, sending cars into the Patapsco River, launching a search-and-rescue operation and…

www.baltimoresun.com

 

[MollyHarps]

If the flashing orange lights in that video central on the bridge surface are the hazard flashers of the road crew.... I can't see how any of them could have survived.

Whatever the final toll number turns out to be, it's going to be awful.

Thank goodness for those pulled alive from the water, and that the ship's crew was unharmed. It sounds like the ship tried to call for help but there was nothing that could be done, it all happened too swiftly. Looking at those closeup photos of the ship afterwards, it's only luck someone on board wasn't killed, or that the whole thing didn't sink or was engulfed in flames. My heart goes out to them.

MOO

I agree with you The orange hazards literally in the middle of the bridge look likely to be the road crew to me - I don’t think any of them will have survived.

I can’t imagine being a family member watching that footage - I pray for good news for them but fear the worst.

 

[iamshadow21]

Know that too well, daughter used to live in brewers hill and I would get stuck waiting for trains as they brought car after car or coal.

Not American, but I've experienced the same long waits here in Australia, both in the Hunter and in western Sydney. Coal trains take absolutely ages to pass by. You count the train cars to pass the time - I think they averaged around forty, plus engines. And when a coal port is shut, like happened in Newcastle a time or two, the knock-on effect is enormous. As much as the world would be better without its reliance on it, coal is still very, very much a big business, globally.

MOO

 

[neesaki]

<modsnip: quoted post was not an approved Ed source> Why does it appear the ship headed straight for the bridge support ? At least that’s how it appears . I do see there was a power outage. Idk….
JMO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

• 
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• 

Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck

Baltimore bridge collapses after powerless cargo ship rams into support column; 6 presumed dead

A container ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore, causing the span to buckle into the river below.

www.fox43.com

*Governor Presser:

 

[iamshadow21]

Why does it appear the ship headed straight for the bridge support ? At least that’s how it appears . I do see there was a power outage. Idk….
JMO

With the power outage, I believe they would have lost the ability to steer, correct course, or reverse thrust to 'brake'. The ship just continues on because of momentum, and drifts to the side because of the lack of steering and the effects of tidal currents. It's a big heavy object that they would have been helpless to stop. I can only imagine the desperation of the crew.

MOO

 

[Rolypolyoly]

Sitting here watching trying to count the vehicles on the bridge right before it hit. Impossible I know, but hoping for it to be less than what they’re estimating.

Just watching the lorries just before the ship hit, holding my breath just willing them to make it off! At least 4 did that could see.
I couldn't make out the cars that were still on the bridge, I'm hoping that's a good thing.

 

[Jsizzle]

It's unreal how easily the bridge collapsed. Usually it seems the initial news reports inflate death tolls in these events. Here's hoping the initial "20 missing" continues to update towards "all safely accounted for".

Unfortunately, that won’t be the case. It’s been far too long. Only 2 accounted for so far. They are about to do a press conference. Also, it’s been reported the workers (not sure if it was all or some of them) were in their trucks on the bridge. Just a horrible situation.

 

[sunspun]

With the power outage, I believe they would have lost the ability to steer, correct course, or reverse thrust to 'brake'.

So I wonder how long power had been out on the ship. One post earlier said "warnings were given". Couldn't they have paused traffic on the bridge until they saw that the danger had hopefully passed (which didn't end up happening unfortunately)? Seems like they could have at least warned the construction crew. The ship apparently knew the power outage might make them hit the bridge supports... maybe they thought the bridge would hold up to a hit. Do we know if any of the construction crew survived? They may have seen it coming and tried to make it to safety but didn't have enough time.