Alert – Baltimore bridge collapse latest news: Witness says Key Bridge sounded like a ‘huge bomb’ when it fell after being rammed by a ship as crews desperately search for six missing crew members

As crews scramble to find the missing crew from the Dali after the bridge collapse, officials have shut down the Port of Baltimore to sea traffic.

That move could have a lasting impact as 140,000 jobs are tied to the port, according to WMAR.

The jobs generated more than $3billion in salaries for the employees.

Authorities with the National Transportation and Safety Board said they did not board the ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Key Bridge on Tuesday.

They made the decision to not hamper search-and-recuse efforts, chair Jennifer Homendy said.

An engineering team is set to help investigators retrieve a recorder that is on the ship.

The stunning collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is diverting shipping and trucking around one of the busiest ports on America’s East Coast, creating delays and raising costs in the latest disruption to global supply chains.

Traffic suspension in the area will require rerouting vessels or their cargo to other ports, potentially causing congestion and delays for importers, said Judah Levine, head of research for the global freight booking platform Freightos.

‘Aside from the obvious tragedy, this incident will have significant and long-lasting impacts on the region,’ American Trucking Associations spokesperson Jessica Gail said, calling Key Bridge and Baltimore’s port ‘critical components” of the nation’s infrastructure.

Gail noted that 1.3 million trucks cross the bridge every year – 3,600 a day.

Trucks that carry hazardous materials will now have to make 30 miles of detours around Baltimore because they are prohibited from using the city’s tunnels, she said, adding to delays and increasing fuel costs.

A resident who lives near the Baltimore Key Bridge told the Washington Post about the moment the stretch fell.

‘It sounded like a huge bomb,’ Marquis Neal told the Post. ‘The house was shaking. The wind — there was a huge gush. Then it just stopped. I thought, ‘Is it an earthquake?’ Then, not only five minutes later, all you heard was sirens. Everything was going crazy.’

Neal said he uses the bridge several times a day and it serves as a main access point for his community.

‘That could’ve been you. It could’ve been anybody. … All of my friends and their families cross the bridge,’ Neal said.

Biden has made a statement from the White House hours after the horrific bridge collapse, while several people remain missing.

He told a press conference Army engineers are on scene, and there was no indication the crash was caused by an intentional act.

‘It’s my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge,’ Biden added.

‘I expect the Congress to support my effort — this is going to take some time.’

Construction crews had been performing concrete repairs on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed on Tuesday morning, officials said.

Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said that eight workers had been repairing potholes when the bridge was hit by a cargo ship.

Six of them remain unaccounted for following the collapse, which was caught in dramatic video as it collapsed into the Patapsco River.

Wiedefeld said: ‘We know there were individuals on the bridge at the time of the collapse, working on the bridge, contractors for us.

He said the workers were ‘basically doing some concrete deck repair’, but said they did not know how many vehicles were involved.

Danish shipping giant Maersk has dropped Baltimore from all its services following Tuesday's horror bridge collapse, which caused the company to suffer a three percent share drop.

Hours after the cargo ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge overnight, sparking massive rescue efforts, the company said it will stop servicing the Port of Baltimore ‘for the foreseeable future.’

‘Due to the damage to the bridge and resulting debris, it will not be possible to reach the Helen Delich Bentley port of Baltimore for the time being,’ the company said in a statement. ‘In line with this, we are omitting Baltimore on all our services for the foreseeable future, until it is deemed safe for passage through this area.’

Biden is expected to address the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse later today in a statement, according to CNN.

It comes as he’s set to travel to Raleigh in North Carolina for a joint appearance with Kamala Harris and a campaign event.

Buttigieg previously said he was in touch with Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.

His office has now confirmed he is on the way to the city to receive updates at the scene.

The vehicles were detected using infrared and side-scan sonar technology, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace has told CNN.

He said that a cement truck, three passenger cars and another vehicle were in the water.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld has said eight people were on the bridge at the time of the crash.

He said two of the eight are accounted for – with one being treated in hospital and the other discharged – as searches continue for the remaining people.

‘The preliminary investigation points to an accident.  We haven’t seen any evidence of a terror attack,’ Moore told the conference 10am Tuesday.

‘We will get through this.’

He said first responders are continuing with search and rescue operation.

‘Baltimore, I am officially declaring a local state of emergency in response to the collapse of our Key Bridge,’ Mayor Brandon M. Scott wrote on X.

‘Our teams are mobilizing resources and working swiftly to address this crisis and ensure the safety and well-being of our community.’

The container ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Key Bridge, causing it to collapse, has previously smashed into a dock in Antwerp, Belgium.

In 2016, the ship smashed into the dock in Antwerp, Belgium, as it was leaving the port for German city Bremerhaven during good weather.

The crash happened due to a mistake by the Master and pilot on board the ship, Vessel Finder reports.

The Dali suffered ‘sufficient damages’ in the stern, but remained afloat, while the dock was ‘seriously damaged’ at the time. No people were injured at the time and no oil spill was reported.

The cargo boat ploughed into what was supposed to be Key Bridge’s strongest structural point – and yet it still completely collapsed on impact – according to an engineer.

‘As I understand it right now, the location where the bridge was struck is unique. In that it is the same location where the bridge has to resist the maximum amount of force as it holds up the center span,’ Ben Schafer, Professor of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins told DailyMail.com.

‘You can understand this visually as the depth of the steel from top arch to bottom support is greatest at these support locations.

‘Almost all bridges from short to long span have some protection for bridge piers in the water to prevent scour and to prevent boat strikes, but it was apparently not enough in this situation.

‘That is my primary observation at this time, beyond still processing the images like everyone else.’

‘First and most important is the safety of anyone we can rescue, and of course the loss of a critical piece of infrastructure for people to live their lives here as they need to in Baltimore and the area,’ Schafer added.

According to an early Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) report, the container ship ‘lost propulsion’ as it was leaving port.

‘The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel and an allision with the bridge was possible,’ the report said. ‘The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.’

‘Drone pilots: The FAA has flight restrictions in place around the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse,’ the authority wrote on X.

‘Do not interfere with rescue operations. If you fly, emergency response operations cannot.’

The restriction was imposed just after 8am Tuesday and covers Baltimore Harbor.

It skirts the region of the busy Baltimore/Washington International Airport, but no delays have been reported yet.

Emergency responders just gave a briefing on the Baltimore bridge collapse, with Coast Guard officials saying they are continuing ‘search and rescue’ efforts.

So far, two people have been rescued, and seven remain missing after a cargo ship crashed into the bridge around 1:30am on Tuesday.

There are three Coast Guard boats in the water aiding in the search.

Baltimore fire officials say that SONAR has detected vehicles in the water as well.

Shipping company Maesrsk has released a statement about the collapse. It read:

‘We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected. We can confirm that the container vessel ‘Dali,’ operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group, is time chartered by Maersk and is carrying Maesrsk customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were onboard the vessel.

‘We are closely following the investigations conducted by authorities and Synergy, and we will do our utmost to keep our customers informed.’

The White House has said it is ‘closely monitoring’ the situation in Baltimore after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed.

It said in a statement that its ‘hearts go out’ to the families of those who are involved following the ‘horrific incident’.

It added: ‘The US Coast Guard is conducting search and rescue for those who remain unaccounted for as a result of the bridge collapse.

‘Senior White House officials are in touch with the governor and mayor to offer any federal assistance they need. There is no indication of any nefarious intent.’

The Baltimore Police Commissioner, Richard Worley, has said that there is no indication that the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge was an act of terrorism.

He added at the press conference this morning that there is also no evidence that the container ship hit the bridge intentionally.

An engineer has said that the extent of the Key Bridge collapse is ‘unusual’.

Sean Keyes, CEO of civil and structural engineering firm Sutcliffe, said: ‘Firstly, a container ship of that size should never hit the bridge abutment.

‘However, as the container ship, which typically weighs around 165,000 tons, has hit the steel bridge abutment and steel bridge structure – which is equivalent to being hit by 16,500 heavy goods vehicles – it’s caused the central structure to collapse.

‘What’s unusual, however, is the extent of the collapse, which has been quite substantial, as the unconnected bridge decks should never have collapsed as well.’

Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said at the press conference that there are vehicles in the water, but it is unclear how many there are.

He also said the number of missing people throughout the morning has been a ‘dynamic count’ and that the number was ‘fluid’, but confirmed that there are at least seven people are involved.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has said that the Key Bridge collapse this morning is an ‘unthinkable tragedy’ during the press conference about the incident.

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 all of them for working together […] to make sure we are working through this tradedy.’

A witness describes the aftermath of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

The man can be heard saying in a video published by the BBC: ‘If you want to know what the “bang” was, a ship hit the [Francis Scott] Key Bridge.

‘The bridge is gone. Holy hell.’

The US Coast Guard said in a statement that there are reports of vehicles in a water.

Public affairs officer Kimberly Reaves said that the Coast Guard has deployed ‘multiple’ response units for a search and rescue mission.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has declared a State of Emergency following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland.

He said in a statement: ‘We 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.

‘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.’

The condition of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge will be assessed by the fire department, Baltimore City Fire chief Kevin Cartwright told CNN.

He said: ‘This bridge has been in place for quite some time and has served many, many commuters in the Baltimore metropolitan area.

‘So as the investigation ensues, there will be structural engineers involved to try and assess what the condition of the bridge is.’

He added that the conditions are currently ‘unsafe’.

Kevin Cartwright, director of communications of the Baltimore City Fire Department, told CNN that freezing temperatures could ‘pose a concern’ as rescuers scramble to save dozens who fell into the water following the bridge collapse.

Cartwright added: ‘It feels like at least about 30 degrees (-1°C) where I am. It could be slightly lower than that. And I’m sure that the water temperature is even colder… And that can pose a concern and risk for our divers.’

The crew of the Dali, the Singapore-flagged ship that hit Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, has been accounted for and there were no injuries on the ship.

Synergy Marine Group, which owns the ship, confirmed in a statement that their vessel had collided with a pillar of the bridge around 1.30am local time.

The cause of the collision is currently unknown and the company said it was working with authorities to determine the cause.

Rescue workers in Baltimore are working furiously in an attempt to save the lives of dozens of people who were plunged into the frigid waters of the Patapsco River when the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed after being hit by a container ship.

Initial reports indicate that at least a dozen cars hit the 47 degree water in addition to a 20 or so construction workers who were working on the bridge at the time.

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Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, Jr. took to X to ask for prayers for those impacted by the bridge collapse.

‘This is a dire emergency,’ Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, said. ‘Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.’

He added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge.

Emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Cartwright said, though he said it’s too early to know how many people were affected. He called the collapse a ‘developing mass casualty event.’

Welcome to ‘s liveblog, where we will bring you the latest updates about the collapse of the Baltimore Key Bridge early this morning.