A search and rescue effort is underway after two people were rescued from the site of the collapsed bridge in Baltimore, Maryland on Tuesday morning.
In a press conference led by James Wallace, chief of Baltimore’s fire department, he said that “upwards of seven individuals” fell into the water after a vessel crashed into part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge at 1.30 a.m. local time.
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Baltimore Police said there was no evidence that the collision was intentional.
Wallace says two people have been rescued, but few personal details are known at this time. “One individual refused service and refused transport, essentially that person was not injured,” Wallace said. “However, there was another individual, that’s been transported to a local trauma center, that is in a very serious condition.”
During the press conference, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott described the event as “an unthinkable tragedy.” He added: “We have to first and foremost pray for all of those who are impacted, those families, and pray for our first responders and thank them.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for Baltimore’s fire department, called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”
At around 1:40 a.m., the Baltimore City Fire Department received an emergency services call to respond to a water rescue in the Patapsco River, according to Wallace. Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time of impact, and sonar and infrared technology, as well as underwater unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) have been deployed for search and rescue operations.
Wallace said that the tides and darkness of the early hours had slowed rescue efforts down.
At least 10 commercial ships en route to Baltimore port have dropped anchors nearby, according to Reuters, which cited tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic. All lanes are closed in both directions on I-695 Key Bridge.
Maryland’s Governor Wes Moore issued a statement Tuesday morning declaring a state of emergency and said he is working with an interagency team to deploy 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,” Moore said.
The Synergy Marine Group, which manages the 948 ft. Dali, the Singapore-flagged shipping container that crashed into the bridge, has confirmed that all crew members, including its two pilots, are accounted for and unharmed, Reuters reported.
The vessel was chartered by shipping company Maersk, and was headed for Colombo, Sri Lanka, carrying cargo from the company. The vessel has previously been involved in a 2016 collision in Antwerp, Belgium, according to VesselFinder. While there were no casualties from this incident, the vessel’s bow scraped the quay and damaged several meters of the hull.