Baltimore: a bridge collapses after being hit by a cargo ship, the impressive images: Femme Actuelle Le MAG

It is a case reminiscent of the traumatic disaster in Genoa in Italy, which at the time led to the deaths of dozens of people, including several French people: The Francis Scott Key Bridge, located in Baltimore, Maryland on the east coast of the United States, collapsed following a collision with a cargo ship. The latter, named the Dali, is more precisely a container ship of Singaporean origin. The incident occurred around 1:35 a.m. local time and was initially reported by US media. Speaking to CNN, a city resident explained: “We were woken up by a kind of earthquake and a long, resounding crash.” For his part, the local police chief indicated, in a press briefing, that there was no “no indication of a terrorist or intentional nature of the disaster.”

At least twenty people wanted

Following this tragedy, the governor of the State of Maryland, Wes Moore, implemented a state of emergency. On the social network X (formerly Twitter), after learning that many people were present in the building when it collapsed, he declared: “We thank the brave men and women who are leading the efforts to save those involved and pray for the safety of all.” To try to save people trapped in their vehicles or who fell into water, numerous operations were deployed by the emergency services. Kevin Cartwright, a member of the Baltimore fire department, told the American channel CNN: “We know that up to 20 people are currently in the Patapsco River, along with several vehicles.” So far, only two people have managed to be pulled from the water, one of whom was “in serious condition”. “We think we are looking for at least 7 people, based on the information we currently have” added Fire Chief James Wallace during a press conference.

An important bridge for the region’s economy

Since the incident between the bridge and the cargo ship, shipping lanes have been closed in both directions and no traffic is allowed on the nearest roads. This could prove, in the long term, a real problem for the city of Baltimore, because this structure inaugurated in 1977, and which spanned the Patapsco River, connected two important districts of the city. 2.6 km long, the Francis Scott Key Bridge was also located on a crucial axis for the east coast of the United States, in terms of transportation and economyand saw no less than 12 million vehicles pass through each year.