Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapses after a container ship hits its support column.

March 26, 2024

US Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapses after a container ship hits its support column.

A massive container ship adrift at 9 mph issued a “mayday” early Tuesday as it headed toward Francis Scott Key Bridge, losing power before colliding with one of the bridge’s support columns.

Several cars were knocked into the Patapsco River and as of Tuesday around 11 a.m., authorities were searching for six construction workers who had been repairing potholes on the bridge. Two others were rescued — one who was briefly hospitalized and another who declined to go to a hospital. Extensive rescue efforts were ongoing.

Before the collision, the ship’s crew notified authorities that the vessel had lost power. That “mayday” allowed Maryland Transportation Authority Police on the highway above to prevent many cars from driving onto the bridge just before the catastrophe.

• “These people are heroes,” Gov. Wes Moore said in a morning news conference. “They saved lives last night.”

He vowed that the bridge will be rebuilt, though he noted it was too early to estimate when or at what cost.

• “I expect the Congress to support my effort. This is going to take some time, but the people of Baltimore can count on us, though, to stick with it every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt,” he said.

In a statement issued by the White House earlier today, President Joe Biden said the federal government would pay for a new bridge.