Search for survivors after ship smashes into bridge

A container ship "lost propulsion" as it was leaving port and smashed into a four-lane bridge in the US port of Baltimore in darkness yesterday, causing it to collapse - sending cars and people plunging into the river below.

Baltimore police said there was no indication of terrorism.

Traffic was suspended at the Port of Baltimore in Maryland until further notice, authorities said. It is the busiest US port for car shipments, handling more than 750,000 vehicles in 2022, according to port data.

Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one in "very serious condition," and were searching for more in the Patapsco River after huge spans of the 2.57-kilometer Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the water.

Baltimore officials said at least seven vehicles plunged into the water.

The Baltimore City Fire Department earlier said as many as 20 people could be in the river along with "numerous vehicles, and possibly a tractor-trailer or a vehicle as large as a tractor-trailer."

It added: "This is a mass-casualty, multiagency event that is going to extend for many days."

A live video posted on YouTube showed the ship plowing into the bridge in darkness. The headlights of vehicles could be seen on the bridge as it crashed into the water and the ship caught fire.

The disaster may be the worst US bridge collapse since 2007 when the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 13.

It was not immediately clear if any other vessels had been damaged or whether operations had halted to and from the port, said shipping and insurance sources.

"We received several 911 calls at around 1.30am, that a vessel struck the Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the collapse," said fire department said.

The ship was identified by LSEG ship tracking data as a Singapore-flagged container ship Dali. The registered owner is Grace Ocean Pte and the manager is Synergy Marine Group, LSEG data shows.

Synergy Marine Corp said the Dali collided with one of the pillars of the bridge and that all its crew members, including the two pilots, had been accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.

The Dali was chartered by shipping company Maersk at the time of the incident, the Danish company said.

Baltimore port's private and public terminals handled 847,158 autos and light trucks in 2023 - the most of any US port. The port also handles farm and construction machinery, sugar, gypsum and coal, according to authorities.

The port handles imports and exports for major automakers including Nissan, Toyota, General Motors, Volvo, Jaguar Land Rover and the Volkswagen group - including luxury models for Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley.

More than 40 ships remained inside Baltimore port including small cargo ships, tug boats and pleasure craft, data from MarineTraffic showed, while at least 30 other ships had signaled their destination was Baltimore.