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Baltimore residents describe 'unbelievable' moment city's Key Bridge collapsed into the river: 'It felt like an earthquake'
Stunned Baltimore residents have shared their shock at the 'unbelievable' moment the city's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River after being struck by a 1,000ft (299m) shipping container this morning.
'It felt like an earthquake. It sounded like a big bash of thunder... the whole house was vibrating, like my house was falling down,' local man John, who lives near the bridge, told WJZ.
'I heard a lot of fire equipment, a lot of police, seen a lot of police boats going out... it's just unbelievable.'
'I've been in this neighborhood 57 years, I remembered when they built this bridge,' he added. 'Can't believe it's gone.'
Alex Delsordo, owner of the Hard Yacht café on the marina nearby, told the BBC one of his employees heard the bridge collapse around 01:30am.
'He said it sounded like a very large, long rumbling, like a train going through,' he told the broadcaster.
He added that rescue teams, who have been working desperately for the last four hours to save the lives of at least seven people believed to have plunged into the frigid 47F (8C) waters below, had been refueling at the café since around 3am.
Initial reports suggested around 20 construction workers and as many as a dozen cars were on the bridge when it was struck.
'It felt like an earthquake . It sounded like a big bash of thunder... the whole house was vibrating, like my house was falling down,' John, who lives near the bridge, told WJZ.
The bridge collapsing into the Patapsco River earlier Tuesday morning
Astonishing footage shows the moment the vessel plowed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, sending the colossal steel structure crashing into the Patapsco River, shortly before 1.30am Eastern
Michael Brown told NBC News his neighbor thought an earthquake had caused the dramatic collapse
Another shaken resident told WJZ: 'I was there yesterday. To see the bridge gone knowing I was on that bridge not even 10 hours ago - it's devastating.'
One speculated about some of the potential implications of the bridge collapsing.
'This is going to be catastrophic for many reasons,' he told the outlet. 'Number one, the harbor's blocked. Number two, we're not going to get any more new car deliveries at this time.
'Amazon is just on the other side of the river and you can forget your same-day, next-day delivery packages.'
The loud bang of the bridge suddenly collapsing left locals stunned and confused, one resident saying he thought his neighbor was playing an 'April Fools' joke' on him when he heard the news.
Michael Brown told NBC News his neighbor thought an earthquake had caused the dramatic collapse.
'I can't believe it. It's a major artery here in the area for the traffic but also for the port... hopefully everyone's okay that's involved in it today.'
Two people were removed from the water earlier this morning, one in serious condition.
'There was another individual that's been transported to a local trauma center that is in a very serious condition,' Baltimore City Fire Department chief James Wallace said.
The first fire unit arrived on the scene around 01:50am after receiving calls at 01:30am reporting the bridge had collapsed.
In the moments before the collision, video showed the ship appearing to lose power twice and billowing black smoke before seemingly being unable to pivot away from the pillar.
Mr Wallace told media they do not yet have any information as to whether there was a problem with the ship, which had left Seagirt Marine Terminal around 12:30am before turning south east, taking it on a course under the Francis Scott Key Bridge and out of the city.
The 1,000ft (299m) vessel, which was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka, is shown in tracking video steadying itself in the middle of the Patapsco River and slowing before colliding with the bridge near Fort Carroll at 01:28am, collapsing it.
Footage of its approach reveals how the vessel appeared to suddenly lose power before making a partial recovery on its approach.
The ship is then seen billowing black smoke into the night sky before losing power again and heading towards one of the structural supports holding the bridge up.
Upon colliding with the structure, the ship appears to lose power a third time as the bridge collapses dramatically around it, first breaking around the support before breaking in the middle and losing balance on its eastern pillar.
The fire chief told media there was 'absolutely no indication' the crash was intentional or part of a terrorist plot.
'Our criminal intel is working with the FBI and other federal and state agencies to get all the intel that we have,' he said.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted on X that, in light of the incident, all lanes have been closed in both directions and traffic is being detoured.
Scott described the collapse as an 'unthinkable tragedy'.
'We have to be thinking about the families and people impacted, folks who we have to try to find. This is what our focus should be on right now, we're going to continue to work in partnership with every part of government to do everything we can to get us through the other side of this tragedy,' he said.
'Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that,' he added.
'It looked like something out of an action movie.'
US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has since spoken to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Mr Scott, according to a post from the secretary on X.
Buttigieg said: 'Rescue efforts remain underway and drivers in the Baltimore area should follow local responder guidance on detours and response.'
The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after it struck the bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024
The collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge after a collision with cargo ship Dali, in Baltimore, Maryland, United States on March 26, 2024
The vessel set sail from Seagirt Marine Terminal before turning and heading for the bridge
The structure carries around 12million vehicles every year (File photo)
The Dali container ship is pictured in a file photo off the Port of Felixstowe in the United Kingdom in September 2018
A picture showing the aftermath of the collapse as the sky begins to brighten in Baltimore, the Dali can be seen to the right with many containers still in tact
The vessel was previously involved in a collision in 2016 in Antwerp, Belgium, according to Vessel Finger and Shipwrecklog, as reported by The Guardian.
Sailing in clear weather, the ship's master and pilot on board were blamed after the bow reportedly scraped the side of the quay while leaving port, causing damage to the hull.
The 1.6-mile Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which is part of I-695, crosses the Patapsco River in Baltimore's harbor.
Built in 1977, the main span of the truss bridge at 1,200ft is the third longest span of any continuous truss in the world.
The structure carries around 12million vehicles every year. It carries the Baltimore Beltway/Interstate 695 over the river.