[HIGHTECHDUDE]

The lighting on the container ship appears to go off for several minutes before collision. My guess is perhaps electrical malfunctions just prior could have knocked out navigation and electronics...

Authorities reported the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early on Tuesday following an incident where a large vessel collided with the structure, as captured in video footage.

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced that all vehicular movement across the bridge is now being rerouted. The status of any potential injuries remains uncertain at this point. The Baltimore City Fire Department has been contacted by journalists for further details.

Spanning 1.6 miles and comprising four lanes, the bridge crosses the Patapsco River. It is a crucial component of the Baltimore harbor's outermost crossings and plays a vital role in the connectivity provided by Interstate-695, commonly referred to as the Baltimore Beltway.

The bridge's namesake, Francis Scott Key, is historically significant for having been inspired to pen the "Star Spangled Banner" during the 1814 bombardment of Fort McHenry, which he is thought to have witnessed from near the current bridge's location.

THANK YOU TO TheCruxofBag FOR VIDEO CONTRIBUTIONS

[DialRain20]

How did this container ship fuck up so badly to collide with one of the bridge's support columns?

[kellyhound]

20 people missing. in the longer stream footage you can see 2 vehicles pass before the collapse. Emergency vehicles that were already on the bridge fell into the water. Maybe there was an accident scene?

[StrategicNuclearMoose]

Per reports on social networks, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland which crosses the Patapsco River has reportedly collapsed after being struck by a large container ship.

Per observers, a mass casualty incident has been declared with over a dozen cars and many individuals are reported to have fallen into the water.

Reports indicate significant damage, with half of the bridge submerged in the water.

[condor5]

Originally Posted by DialRain20 ↗

How did this container ship fuck up so badly to collide with one of the bridge's support columns?

Visibility from the bridge of the ship isn't always good on a box boat. The things is, the ship had power as you can see by the smoke from the funnel where the engine has been thrown hard astern. She also will likely have had a Pilot on board, so it could be a steering system, or simply a monumental fuck up.

[condor5]

Originally Posted by condor5 ↗

Visibility from the bridge of the ship isn't always good on a box boat. The things is, the ship had power as you can see by the smoke from the funnel where the engine has been thrown hard astern. She also will likely have had a Pilot on board, so it could be a steering system, or simply a monumental fuck up.

Edit, with all the smoke coming out of the stack she may have had a fire, strange how she turns pretty hard to starboard seemingly aiming for the span base..... could be crew dropping the anchors, if she'd have carried on her original track she would have missed!!

[condor5]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

20 people missing. in the longer stram footage you can see 2 vehicles pass before the collapse. Emergency vehicles that were already on the bridge fell into the water. Maybe there was an accident scene?

Can't wait to hear the Bridge Voice Recording. All commercial vessels are required by law to have a BVR & Bridge data recorder. Everything said on the bridge for the previous 12 hours will be recorded, along with all the navigational information. It won't take long to figure out what happened.

[akham]

A major bridge in the US city of Baltimore has entirely collapsed into the Patapsco River after being hit by a container ship at approximately 1.30AM Eastern today.

Aerial shots of the scene show the ship wedged into debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which is 3km (1.6 miles) long and part of a major highway.

Rescuers are searching for at least seven people, authorities say, while two others have been pulled from the water.

Sonar has detected multiple vehicles underwater, officials say.

The fire department says the ship hit a column of the bridge at around 01:30 ET (05:30 GMT) and there is no indication it was intentional.

[akham]

(No idea why the video previews disappeared when I edited the post to add more media. Sorry, this is the first time I've created a thread ... )

[chris]

Holy shit, looks like matchsticks coming down.