BALTIMORE — Rebuilding Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge could take anywhere from 18 months to several years, experts say, while the cost could be at least $400 million – or more than twice that.
It all depends on factors that are still mostly unknown. They range from the design of the new bridge to how swiftly government officials can navigate the bureaucracy of approving permits and awarding contracts.
Realistically, the project could take five to seven years, according to Ben Schafer, an engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University.
“The lead time on air conditioning equipment right now for a home renovation is like 16 months, right?” Schafer said. He continued: “So it’s like you’re telling me they’re going to build a whole bridge in two years? I want it to be true, but I think empirically it doesn’t feel right to me.”
Others are more optimistic about the potential timeline: Sameh Badie, an engineering professor at George Washington University, said the project could take as little as 18 months to two years.
The Key Bridge collapsed Tuesday, killing six members of a crew that was working on the span, after the Dali cargo ship plowed into one its supports. Officials are scrambling to clean up and rebuild after the accident, which has shuttered the city’s busy port and a portion of the Baltimore beltway.
The disaster is in some ways similar to the deadly collapse of Florida’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which was was struck by a freighter in Tampa Bay in 1980. The new bridge took five years to build, was 19 months late and ran $20 million over budget when it opened in 1987.
But experts say it’s better to look to more recent bridge disasters for a sense of how quickly reconstruction may happen.
Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, cited the case of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minnesota, which collapsed into the Mississippi River in 2007. The new span was up in less than 14 months.
“It’s the best comparison that we have for a project like this,” Tymon said. “They did outstanding work in being able to get the approvals necessary to be able to rebuild that as quickly as possible.”
Tymon expects various government agencies to work together to push through permits, environmental and otherwise.
“It doesn’t mean that all of the right boxes won’t get checked – they will,” Tymon said. “It’ll just be done more efficiently because everybody will know that this has to get done as quickly as possible.”
One looming issue is the source of funding. President Joe Biden has repeatedly said the federal government will pay for the new bridge, but that remains to be seen.
“Hopefully, Congress will be able to come together to provide those resources as soon as possible so that that does not become a source of delay,” Tymon said.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar helped to obtain funding quickly to rebuild the I-35W bridge in her state. But she said replacing the Baltimore span could be more complicated.
She noted that the I-35W bridge, a federal interstate highway, was a much busier roadway with about 140,000 vehicle crossings a day, compared with about 31,000 for the Maryland bridge.
“But where there’s a will there’s a way, and you can get the emergency funding,” Klobuchar said. “It’s happened all over the country when disasters hit. And the fact that this is such a major port also makes it deserving of making sure that this all gets taken care of.”
Badie, of George Washington University, said the cost could be between $500 million and $1 billion, with the largest variable being the design.
For example a suspension bridge like San Francisco’s Golden Gate will cost more, while a cable-stayed span, like Florida’s Skyway Sunshine Bridge, which handles weight using cables and towers, would be less expensive.
Whatever is built, steel is expensive these days and there is a backlog for I-beams, Badie said. Plus, the limited number of construction companies that can tackle such a project are already busy on other jobs.
“A project like this is going to be expedited, so everything is going to cost a lot more,” Badie said.
Hota GangaRao, a West Virginia University engineering professor, said the project could cost as little as $400 million. But that’s only if the old bridge’s pier foundations are used; designers may want to locate the new supports farther away from the shipping channels to avoid another collision.
“That’s going to be more steel, more complicated construction and more checks and balances,” GangaRao said. “It all adds up.”
Norma Jean Mattei, an emeritus engineering professor at The University of New Orleans, said replacing the Key Bridge likely will take several years. Even if it’s a priority, the process of designing the span, getting permits and hiring contractors takes a lot of time. And then you have to build it.
“It’s quite a process to actually get a bridge of this type into operation,” she said.
(The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.)
A fear of bridges, especially after what happened on the Key Bridge in Baltimore, can be addressed with therapy or using drive-over services on bridges that are known for causing anxiety.
As engineers studied the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, one thing occurred to Ben Schafer, a bridge expert with the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University: “Most people have some natural trepidation when they’re driving across a large span bridge.”
Schafer said that for some, waking up to the news of the Key Bridge collapse likely fed “into a fear that they’re already dealing with.”
Schafer said the public should know that engineers, bridge designers and maintenance professionals view their job as a “solemn responsibility” to ensure the safety and soundness of infrastructure used every day. He added that the profession works to learn from failures like the one that led to the collapse of the bridge.
That trepidation can be addressed with therapy or using drive-over services on bridges that are known for causing anxiety. Yet, the bridge expert wants people to trust that engineers have their best interests in mind while building a long bridge.
Psychologist weighs in on ‘gephyrophobia’
Abigail Marsh, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Georgetown University, said she’s sympathetic to Schafer’s concern about fears of crossing bridges being exacerbated by the bridge collapse in Baltimore. However, her grandfather was also an engineer, so she understands the care and concern needed to build a bridge.
Marsh said some amount of anxiety around bridges is reasonable.
“So many of the kinds of things that we tend to fear are the result of evolutionary pressures that make us sensitive to certain kinds of danger,” she told WTOP.
Marsh said the fear of bridges manifests itself through a fear of heights. While many people experience some level of anxiety or fear of going over bridges, some have crippling phobias.
“The difference between having a fear and a true phobia is that only true phobias interfere with your ability to function and cause significant distress,” said Marsh.
Among the solutions to deal with the type of phobia that leaves people simply unable to drive over a bridge is some form of treatment, either through behavioral or cognitive behavioral therapy. Both forms are seen as the “gold standard approach’ in combating the fear, the professor said.
Through therapy, a client is taught to relax on cue. They then take that skill to confront the object causing the fear. A patient might start imagining themselves on a bridge or looking at photos of tall bridges, Marsh said. They may eventually walk over the overpass or, in some cases, drive over it.
Failing to address the phobia can actually create a situation where the fear is reinforced, she said.
Most people can successfully overcome those fears with therapy, but there are more immediate solutions. In some areas, a bridge authority may provide a service or access to a business that can transport you across the structure, known as drive-over services.
“You can ride as a passenger with your eyes shut, imagine that you’re somewhere else while a professional drives your car across the bridge, which I think is a wonderful service,” Marsh said.
More on the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore
The solution for those who fear the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
Many drivers experience such severe fear that, at one time, Maryland provided a drive-over service. Until 2007, the Maryland Transit Authority Police would escort nervous drivers over the bridge before the service was dissolved.
Steven Eskew operates the business that, pre-pandemic, provided an average of 7,000 trips a year. Post-pandemic, Eskew told WTOP he’s closer to just over 5,000 trips a year, although business is ticking up.
Drivers call Eskew’s business about an hour before heading to the bridge and if they’re eastbound, they give a second call before approaching Annapolis. The meetup point is a weigh station that’s provided in cooperation with the Maryland Transit Authority.
“And then we just get into their vehicle. They get into their back seat or the passenger seat, whatever they’re comfortable with,” he said. “We drive them across and drop them off at a safe spot on the other side.”
Eskew said there are regular customers who depend on the service, using his business up to 1-3 times a week. Then there are seasonal travelers who may have heard about his company’s services in advance and use them once or twice a year.
Then, there is a third type of customer who drives up to the bridge and stops before attempting to cross. In those cases, Eskew’s business may get a call from police or workers for the Maryland Transportation Authority Police who service the bridge to meet the driver.
“They’ll have a panic attack, and 99% of the time, we can help them,” he said.
Eskew said there are different reactions from drivers depending on which direction they’re headed. When heading eastbound to the beaches, there are concrete barriers and a curve on either side of the bridge. Some people don’t like not being able to see over to the other side of the overpass, he said.
“I kind of coin that ‘the Christopher Columbus fear’ because people have the sense that they’re going off the edge,” he told WTOP.
The westbound trip is harder for other drivers to manage because the barriers are relatively low.
“I think it’s beautiful, but people are very uncomfortable” with the unobstructed view, Eskew said.
Once drivers know they don’t have to be behind the wheel, some preferences still stand out. Some enjoy taking in the view without the stress of driving, while others would cover themselves up and hide while crossing the Bay.
Eskew’s wife even came up with a creative addition to the service; she made sleep masks for customers so they could “just sit back and enjoy the ride,” he said.
In some cases, customers may take the wheel themselves, while Eskew and others sit on the passenger side and talk to them while they cross the bridge. He said it provides a distraction but can be tricky as some have panicked during the drive.
The type of vehicles differs, too, but Eskew says his business has transported tractor-trailers and motorcycles across the bridge.
“We even offer a bicycle service,” he said.
For cyclists, the issue isn’t fear, he said, but rather that the state doesn’t allow bikes to cross the bridge, so riders who want to get to the Eastern Shore need a way to get their bikes over.
“The bridge does not discriminate,” Eskew said. “If you don’t like driving the bridge, it is what it is.”
Eskew’s clients vary in gender, ages and professions, with the majority between the ages of 40 and 60. Airline pilots, psychologists, firefighters — anyone can experience the kind of fear that makes a $40 charge to have someone else do the driving worth it.
The fear can also crop up from nowhere for people who’ve lived in the area and driven back and forth to the Eastern Shore since they were old enough to drive. Eskew said he hears that a lot.
“They’re just uncomfortable with the drive,” he said. “Something just clicks … and it just happens.”
While he’s not up to pre-pandemic numbers, his business did tick up after places reopened because of the stress of driving the Bay Bridge. Relieving that stress is what his business is all about.
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BALTIMORE, Md. — Six construction workers were killed when a cargo ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, sending the workers into the water below, officials said.
The bodies of two victims were recovered on Wednesday, found by divers trapped in a red pickup truck that was submerged in approximately 25 feet of water near the middle span of the bridge, Maryland State Police said.
The other four victims have not been recovered.
A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge Tuesday March 26, 2024, in Baltimore, Md.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes
Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, was one of the workers recovered from the pickup truck. He was a native of Mexico who lived in Baltimore.
Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera
Dorlian Castillo, 26, from Guatemala.
Dorlian Castillo/Facebook
Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, was also recovered from the truck. He was a native of Guatemala who lived in Dundalk, Maryland.
Among the missing is construction worker Miguel Luna, a native of El Salvador, according to Court Appointed Special Advocates, a group that works with immigrants.
Luna, 49, was a father of five from Usulutan, California, in El Salvador, his family told ABC News.
Luna called Maryland home for over 19 years, according to Court Appointed Special Advocates, a group that works with immigrants.
Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval
This 2018 photo courtesy of Martin Suazo Sandoval shows Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval after attending a religious service in Baltimore, Maryland.
Martin Suazo Sandoval via AP
Another missing victim was identified as 38-year-old Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, a father of two who migrated from Honduras over 17 years ago, according to Gustavo Torres, the executive director of CASA, an immigration and Latino advocacy-and-assistance organization.
He was the youngest of eight siblings from Azacualpa, a rural mountainous area in northwestern Honduras along the border with Guatemala.
“He was the baby for all of us, the youngest. He was someone who was always happy, was always thinking about the future. He was a visionary,” Carlos Suazo Sandoval, one of Maynor’s brothers told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday from Dundalk, Maryland, near the site of the bridge collapse.
He dreamed of starting a small business and brought joy and humor to his family, Torres told reporters on Wednesday.
Maynor entered the United States illegally and settled in Maryland. At first, he did any work he could find, including construction and clearing brush. Eventually, he started a package delivery business in the Baltimore-Washington area, Martín Suazo Sandoval said.
“He was the fundamental pillar, the bastion so that other members of the family could also travel there and later get visas and everything,” Martín Suazo Sandoval said. “He was really the driving force so that most of the family could travel.”
Maynor has a wife and two children ages 17 and 5, he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced Maynor to find other work, and he joined Brawner Builders, the company that was performing maintenance on the bridge when it collapsed.
Even though Maynor had not been able to return to Honduras, he had financially supported various nongovernmental social organizations in town, as well as the youth soccer league, his brother said. The area depends largely upon agriculture – coffee, cattle, sugarcane – he said.
Maynor’s employer broke the news of his disappearance to his family, leaving them devastated, especially his mother, who still lives in Azacualpa, Martín Suazo Sandoval said.
“These are difficult moments, and the only thing we can do is keep the faith,” he said, noting that his younger brother knew how to swim and could have ended up anywhere. If the worst outcome is confirmed, he said the family would work to return his body to Honduras.
The final two victims have not been identified.
One missing worker is a 35-year-old from Camotán, Chiquimula, in Guatemala, the country’s foreign ministry said.
The last missing worker is from Mexico, the country’s foreign ministry said.
Two construction workers survived the collapse.
Federal and state investigators have said the crash appears to have been an accident.
ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
BALTIMORE, Md. — Six construction workers were killed when a cargo ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, sending the workers into the water below, officials said.
The bodies of two victims were recovered on Wednesday, found by divers trapped in a red pickup truck that was submerged in approximately 25 feet of water near the middle span of the bridge, Maryland State Police said.
The other four victims have not been recovered.
A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge Tuesday March 26, 2024, in Baltimore, Md.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes
Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, was one of the workers recovered from the pickup truck. He was a native of Mexico who lived in Baltimore.
Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera
Dorlian Castillo, 26, from Guatemala.
Dorlian Castillo/Facebook
Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, was also recovered from the truck. He was a native of Guatemala who lived in Dundalk, Maryland.
Among the missing is construction worker Miguel Luna, a native of El Salvador, according to Court Appointed Special Advocates, a group that works with immigrants.
Luna, 49, was a father of five from Usulutan, California, in El Salvador, his family told ABC News.
Luna called Maryland home for over 19 years, according to Court Appointed Special Advocates, a group that works with immigrants.
Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval
This 2018 photo courtesy of Martin Suazo Sandoval shows Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval after attending a religious service in Baltimore, Maryland.
Martin Suazo Sandoval via AP
Another missing victim was identified as 38-year-old Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, a father of two who migrated from Honduras over 17 years ago, according to Gustavo Torres, the executive director of CASA, an immigration and Latino advocacy-and-assistance organization.
He was the youngest of eight siblings from Azacualpa, a rural mountainous area in northwestern Honduras along the border with Guatemala.
“He was the baby for all of us, the youngest. He was someone who was always happy, was always thinking about the future. He was a visionary,” Carlos Suazo Sandoval, one of Maynor’s brothers told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday from Dundalk, Maryland, near the site of the bridge collapse.
He dreamed of starting a small business and brought joy and humor to his family, Torres told reporters on Wednesday.
Maynor entered the United States illegally and settled in Maryland. At first, he did any work he could find, including construction and clearing brush. Eventually, he started a package delivery business in the Baltimore-Washington area, Martín Suazo Sandoval said.
“He was the fundamental pillar, the bastion so that other members of the family could also travel there and later get visas and everything,” Martín Suazo Sandoval said. “He was really the driving force so that most of the family could travel.”
Maynor has a wife and two children ages 17 and 5, he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced Maynor to find other work, and he joined Brawner Builders, the company that was performing maintenance on the bridge when it collapsed.
Even though Maynor had not been able to return to Honduras, he had financially supported various nongovernmental social organizations in town, as well as the youth soccer league, his brother said. The area depends largely upon agriculture – coffee, cattle, sugarcane – he said.
Maynor’s employer broke the news of his disappearance to his family, leaving them devastated, especially his mother, who still lives in Azacualpa, Martín Suazo Sandoval said.
“These are difficult moments, and the only thing we can do is keep the faith,” he said, noting that his younger brother knew how to swim and could have ended up anywhere. If the worst outcome is confirmed, he said the family would work to return his body to Honduras.
The final two victims have not been identified.
One missing worker is a 35-year-old from Camotán, Chiquimula, in Guatemala, the country’s foreign ministry said.
The last missing worker is from Mexico, the country’s foreign ministry said.
Two construction workers survived the collapse.
Federal and state investigators have said the crash appears to have been an accident.
ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
BALTIMORE — Even before most Americans woke up Tuesday morning to news of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, wild conspiracy theories about what supposedly had “really” happened were running rampant online.
The claims ranged from a cyber-attack or a ship captain impaired by side effects from COVID-19 vaccines being responsible for the crash – to claims that Israel, or even the Obamas had something to do with the bridge’s collapse.
All of these claims are entirely baseless. Officials investigating the crash said early on that there was no indication it was a deliberate act.
But that didn’t stop conspiracy theories from spreading rapidly across the internet, generating tens of millions of views on social media even as dive teams crews were conducting search and rescue operations. In just a few hours an entire alternate reality, devoid of facts, had been created around the bridge’s collapse.
It is a stark reminder of the erosion of trust among Americans in major institutions, particularly government and media, and the perverse online incentive structures that reward the sharing of misinformation.
Cataclysmic events that capture the nation’s attention have always prompted a deluge of alternative theories that challenge or contradict the facts or broadly accepted version of events.
What makes this moment in American history different is the capacity for known peddlers of disinformation to immediately flood the zone with objectively false information, thanks in part to the lack of robust fact-checking operations at social media companies including Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter.
It is entirely possibly that millions of Americans encountered false claims about the bridge collapse when they woke up Tuesday morning before ever seeing the facts.
“In many ways, the Baltimore bridge conspiracies serve as a canary in the coalmine for how election conspiracies will emerge on social media in the leadup to November,” said Ben Decker, CEO of Memetica, a company that tracks misinformation online.
The usual suspects
Soon after 7 a.m. EST, on Tuesday, less than six hours after the bridge collapsed, Andrew Tate, an online provocateur with more than 9 million followers on X, posted, without offering a shred of evidence, that the ship had been “cyber-attacked” and was deliberately steered toward the bridge.
“Foreign agents of the USA attack digital infrastructures,” he added.
Tate, who is known for his misogynistic posts, is currently awaiting trial in Romania on charges of human trafficking and rape. After that trial he is expected to be extradited to the United Kingdom to face sex offense charges. He denies all charges.
By Wednesday, Tate’s tweet had been seen more than 18.5 million times on X, according to the company’s own data.
Under Elon Musk, X has touted community notes as a way for its community to fact-check itself. The note that showed under Tate’s tweet for some of Tuesday meekly described his statement as “speculation.” By Wednesday morning, the note was updated to state Tate’s post was “misleading.” By Wednesday evening, the note said in part that, “readers should be aware this is a personal opinion being portrayed as factual.”
Regardless, Tate’s post helped set the tone for the day’s alternate reality.
Two hours after Tate’s post, Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist Alex Jones posted the video of the bridge collapse on Tuesday and commented, “Looks deliberate to me. A cyber-attack is probable. WW3 has already started.”
Jones and other doomsday peddlers have for years tried to convince their audiences that the world is on the brink of catastrophe and that they need to prepare. Part of that preparedness involves buying thousands of dollars’ worth of freeze-dried food and survival kits – which, of course, Jones happens to sell.
‘A little bit of decency and respect’
On Wednesday, the head of Maryland State Police announced that dive teams had recovered the bodies of two people in the river. At least four other people are unaccounted for and presumed dead, the Coast Guard said.
Baltimore’s mayor asked for people to have “a little bit of decency and respect” when it comes to online discourse about the fatal bridge collapse.
“Don’t spread misinformation. Don’t play bridge engineer online or in the media. Remember that these are people’s family members who have lost their lives simply trying to make transit better for the rest of us,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said.
By then the tragedy had already become a battering ram for political posturing.
Some right-wing social media users suggested that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies were linked to the bridge collapse by arguing that more qualified people were passed over for jobs to fulfill diversity and inclusion mandates and that this in some way contributed to or caused the accident.
There is zero evidence to support this claim – but it makes for a talking point that generates a lot of likes and shares. DEI programs, which promote the inclusion of people from groups that have historically been underrepresented or discriminated against, have become the latest front in America’s culture wars – with Republican states such as Florida and Texas signing into law bills that restrict these initiatives.
Politics is everything
What is perhaps most notable about how quickly and widely conspiracy theories about a breaking news story spread is just how normal this all is right now. The creation of a daily alternate reality is a well-oiled machine by now.
On any given day there is a solid contingent of online influencers, faux intellectuals, and self-professed “truth tellers” who will tell you whatever you are being told on the news is a lie – whether it’s who really won the 2020 election (Biden did) or if Taylor Swift has the ability to rig the Super Bowl to help President Joe Biden (she doesn’t).
Some of this mis- and disinformation is politically or ideologically motivated, some financial, some a mix of both. X under Musk has incentivized creators to make viral posts by offering them a cut of the company’s advertising revenue. Musk claims X doesn’t pay creators whose posts have been corrected by community notes – but a lot of posts on the platform fall into a gray area.
There are other ways to cash in too – like selling doomsday survival kits.
While many Americans might laugh or shrug when they hear some of these conspiracy theories – the daily deluge of false claims shape the world view of millions of other Americans.
A quarter of all Americans falsely believe the FBI, not Trump supporters, instigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. A third of Republicans believe the Taylor Swift-Super Bowl conspiracy theory.
Jewish space lasers
As news unfolded on Tuesday, the conspiracy theories continued.
Some people falsely claimed Israel was responsible. Others bizarrely, yet darkly, suggested that the Obamas might be responsible because they produced a Netflix movie where a cyberattack causes an oil tanker to run aground. “Draw your own conclusions,” one person with almost 700,000 followers on X posted Tuesday morning.
David Simon, the creator of the HBO series “The Wire” and a famed Baltimore native, began fact-checking some of the more ludicrous false claims as they circulated on X on Tuesday.
When one X user suggested the Covid-19 vaccine was to blame for the collision, because the captain of the ship had collapsed after taking the vaccine, Simon hit back with facts.
The captain of the ship did not collapse, a power outage caused the collision, Simon noted – before he dryly, and sarcastically, suggested the X user he was replying to might believe the power outage was cause by “Jewish space lasers.”
Before becoming a member of Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene infamously engaged with a conspiracy theory that Jewish space lasers might have been the cause of deadly wildfires in California.
On Tuesday, the Georgia Republican posted on X asking if the bridge collapse was an “intentional attack or an accident,” adding that there should be a full investigation. Greene has not weighed in on the cause of the bridge collapse.
Jewish space lasers were not responsible for the wildfires, nor the Baltimore bridge collapse. But for many Americans, even maybe some in the halls of Congress, it might not seem so far-fetched.
(The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.)
ILA local chapter president Scott Cowan joined WTOP’s Anne Kramer and Shawn Anderson to discuss the future impact of the bridge’s collapse on its workers.
Scott Cowan, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 333 in Maryland, said the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is a “catastrophic event,” not just for the state’s drivers and the families who lost loved ones, but also the ports’ workers.
Cowan joined WTOP on Wednesday to discuss the future impact the port’s partial closure will have on its longshoremen.
ILA local chapter president Scott Cowan joined WTOP’s Anne Kramer and Shawn Anderson to discuss the future impact of the bridge’s collapse
The transcript below has been lightly edited for clarity.
Scott Cowan: There’s about 2,400 ILA union longshoremen in the Port of Baltimore. And last year alone, we worked over four million man hours in the port. So it’s a big impact to the longshoremen and their families and it’s a catastrophic event.
Anne Kramer: Scott, was your phone ringing off the hook when you learned of what happened? And what have the calls and what have the workers been asking of you and telling you?
Scott Cowan: Well, the workers are wondering how they’re going to feed their family, if their benefits are going to be protected. And what the future holds for us as the longshoremen of the port of Baltimore.
Shawn Anderson: Among the companies that you have contracts with, have they given you an indication, has anybody, the government, given you an indication of how long the port might be closed?
Scott Cowan: It’s really too early to tell. The Army Corps of Engineers and surveyors will determine those things and then they’ll bring assets in to dredge and salvage the steel and concrete and all that stuff and clear the shipping channel out. It all depends. I mean, you got a lot of factors going into this, it isn’t just as easy as it may seem to some
Anne Kramer: Scott, explain for our listeners so they can better understand what it looks like at the port right now versus what it usually looks like with all the ships going in and out. What is happening now? And is there any indication since they stopped this shipping traffic? Are there ships that are actually stuck inside the port?
Scott Cowan: There’s a couple ships inside the harbor that are here. The cargo in the terminals will quickly dwindle as it gets delivered out by truck, or rail, or various other ways. Once the delivering of the cargo dwindles, then more and more longshoremen will be laid off. There’ll be a little bit of maintenance to be done to keep the terminals operational, but the cargo is the driver here.
Shawn Anderson: What else would you like us to know about the situation for your union members?
Scott Cowan: During the pandemic, our longshoreman didn’t miss a day, unloading and loading ships, getting products to market that everybody was in such desperate need of, and now it seems like it’s turned, where now longshoremen are in desperate need of making a living to feed their families. The consumers will still get their goods from other ports via truck. It’s not just the 2,400 long ILA longshoreman, you got almost 20,000 direct jobs attached to this port and 100,000 indirect jobs. It’s a big economic impact to the state of Maryland to the tune of $191 million a day.
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BALTIMORE — Two bodies were recovered from a red pickup truck found in the water near the middle span of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, Maryland State Police said during a press briefing.
The two men were located by divers shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday, according to Roland Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police. The truck was submerged in approximately 25 feet of water, he said.
Police identified the victims as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, a native of Mexico who lived in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, a native of Guatemala who lived in Dundalk. They were both construction workers, authorities said.
One was identified by a driver’s license in his pocket and the other by fingerprint, authorities said.
Crews are searching for four others who fell into the water and are presumed dead.
Maryland State Police say 2 bodies found in water after bridge collapse
How the collapse happened
Just hours before the Tuesday morning commute was to get underway, the crew of a massive cargo ship leaving Baltimore harbor lost propulsion and control of the vessel, causing it to crash into a support column of the Key Bridge, triggering a catastrophic collapse of the 1.6-mile long span and sending vehicles and people into the water, officials said.
The transportation disaster unfolded about 1:35 a.m., prompting a major emergency response from Baltimore police, firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard as authorities estimated that up to 20 vehicles went into the water along with several workers who were part of a maintenance team fixing potholes on the span, officials said.
“I can tell you, our sonar has detected the presence of vehicles submerged in the water,” Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said at a news conference early Tuesday.
Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said the depth of the water in the area where the crash occurred is about 50 feet.
The workers were part of the maintenance crew repairing the asphalt on the bridge.
Miguel Luna, who was originally from El Salvador was a married father of three children.
Another missing victim was identified as Maynor Suazo Sandoval, a father of two who migrated from Honduras over 17 years ago, according to Gustavo Torres, the executive director of CASA, an immigration and Latino advocacy-and-assistance organization.
He dreamed of starting a small business and brought joy and humor to his family, Torres told reporters on Wednesday.
Other workers who remain unaccounted for are believed to be from Mexico and Honduras.
A hazmat investigator looked into the cargo on the container ship and identified 56 containers of hazardous materials, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said Wednesday evening.
Some of the hazmat containers had been “breached,” and there has been “sheen” seen on the waterway, which state and local authorities are aware of and investigating, according to officials.
Homendy said it wasn’t known how many hazardous containers were in the water after the incident.
There were 23 people aboard Dali at the time of the collision, 21 crew members and two pilots, according to the NTSB chair.
During the briefing, Homedy said the data recorders they have access to are considered basic compared to a commercial plane.
The ship’s voice data recorder only captured limited information, she said.
The U.S. Coast Guard provided the NTSB with six hours of data between midnight and 6 a.m. ET upon arrival.
Officials said on Wednesday that the quality of audio from the box “varies wildly” because of the high level of background noise, which will have to be filtered out to improve the audio quality.
They expect to recover 30 days of data from the data recorders, she said.
Addressing the collision, the NTSB said that current data points to a power failure, but they have not confirmed that or a possible reason for the likely power failure.
NTSB gives update on March 27, 2024, following Baltimore bridge collapse
‘Abundance of twisted metal’
Imagery from underwater drones shows “an abundance of twisted metal and debris” from the collapsed Key Bridge, making it unsafe for divers to enter the water, according to a new assessment of the situation from the Department of Homeland Security obtained Wednesday by ABC News.
According to the report, “one truck and trailer” has been recovered from the water and a vehicle remains hanging from the metal structure of the collapsed bridge.
Investigators also determined there are 13 damaged containers aboard the cargo ship that are being inspected for any potentially hazardous materials.
“There is minor sheening on-scene. Booming has been ordered and is staged but will not be placed until search and rescue and dive operations are complete. The amount of potential oil spill is 1.8 [million] gallons of marine grade diesel,” according to the document.
During a White House press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Vice Adm. Peter Gautier, deputy commandant for operations for the U.S. Coast Guard, said the cargo ship was loaded with 4,700 containers, 56 of which contained hazardous materials.
“Most of these things are things like mineral oils and, even though they’re hazardous, we’ve determined that there really isn’t any kind of threat to the public,” said Gautier, adding that the two containers that went into the water did not contain hazardous materials.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that was struck by a container ship in Baltimore, Md., on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.
Maxaar Technologies via AP
Gautier also said there was no sign that the container ship was leaking fuel or was taking on water.
At the same White House press briefing, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that while there is no estimate yet on how much it will cost to rebuild the bridge, he said it “will not be quick, easy or cheap.”
‘We’re with you,’ Biden tells Baltimore residents
During a press conference Tuesday afternoon from the White House, President Joe Biden said he had authorized federal resources to be used in the search and rescue operation.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the brave rescuers who immediately rushed to the scene. And to the people of Baltimore, we want to say, we’re with you, we’re going to stay with you for as long as it takes,” said Biden.
The president echoed local, state and federal officials who said investigators have found no evidence linking the incident to terrorism. Biden called it a “terrible incident and accident.”
Biden pledged that the federal government would pay to replace the bridge, which was built in the 1970s at the cost of $110 million, the equivalent of $500 million in 2024 accounting for inflation.
President Joe Biden delivered remarks after a cargo ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse.
The FBI, which arrived at the scene an hour after the incident, confirmed that no link to terrorism was involved, according to Bill DelBagno, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Baltimore field office.
Power issues reported before crash
According to a Coast Guard memo obtained by ABC News, a harbor pilot and an assistant aboard the cargo ship reported the power issues that prompted multiple alarms on the bridge of the vessel and loss of propulsion. The pilots were operating the ship, not the ship’s captain, according to Wiedefeld.
A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Biden said local authorities were alerted of the pending disaster and closed the bridge to traffic before the crash, “which undoubtedly saved lives.”
Officials said the container ship was moving at a speed of 8 knots, or about 9 mph, when it struck the bridge. They said the disaster could have been much worse had authorities not stopped cars from going onto the bridge.
Moore described the crash as “unprecedented.”
“To hear the words that the Key Bridge has collapsed, it’s shocking and heartbreaking,” Moore said.
All workers on the container ship were accounted for, according to the Coast Guard memo.
Moore said there were no structural issues with the bridge, saying it was “fully up to code.”
Francis Scott Key observes the bombardment and the U.S. flag over Fort McHenry.
Getty Images
The White House said that after learning of the incident, Biden convened senior members of his team for a briefing on the bridge collapse. During the briefing, the president directed his team to ensure all federal resources be made available to assist in the ongoing search and rescue efforts, White House officials said.
Previous deficiencies found on cargo ship
Danish shipping company Maersk chartered the Dali cargo ship, a spokesperson for the company told ABC News in a statement.
“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected. We can confirm that the container vessel ‘DALI’, operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group, is time chartered by Maersk and is carrying Maersk customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were onboard the vessel. We are closely following the investigations conducted by authorities and Synergy, and we will do our utmost to keep our customers informed,” the Maersk spokesperson said.
The Dali cargo ship had two deficiencies since it was built in 2015, according to records from the Electronic Quality Shipping Information System (Equasis).
The most recent deficiency was given on June 27, 2023, during an inspection in the port of San Antonio, Chile. The deficiency was for “propulsion and auxiliary machinery” concerning gauges and thermometers, according to Equasis. The other deficiency was given in 2016 for “structural conditions” concerning a damaged hull “impairing seaworthiness.”
The records show that the last inspection of the container ship was on Sept. 13, 2023, in New York.
Dramatic security video captured the vessel striking one of the main support columns holding up the center cantilevered section of the bridge, causing the span to break apart in several sections and sending twisted metal into the water onto the bow of the Dali as black smoke began to pour from the vessel.
Multiple vehicles plunged from the bridge at the time of the collapse, the Baltimore City Fire Department said.
Two of the construction workers who were on the bridge and survived, including one who ran from the bridge and the other who fell into the water and swam ashore, according to the latest internal Department of Homeland Security briefing obtained by ABC News.
Just minutes before the crash, the video showed traffic flowing on the bridge, but the traffic almost disappeared before impact.
After reviewing traffic cameras, Maryland transportation officials confirmed “no vehicles [were] transiting the bridge at the time of the incident,” according to the latest internal Department of Homeland Security briefing obtained by ABC News.
The pilot who was at the controls of the ship “is currently undergoing post-accident Drug and Alcohol Testing,” the briefing said.
The Dali “remains impaled in the bridge,” the document said, adding that several shipping containers with undisclosed cargo fell into the water. There is hull damage above the water line of the vessel, but the ship is maintaining watertight integrity,” according to the document.
Had the crash occurred a few hours later at the height of the morning commute the bridge would have likely been packed with commuters. The bridge is part of the heavily traveled Interstate 695 linking Baltimore to Washington, D.C. An estimated 11.5 million vehicles cross the bridge annually, or about 30,000 per day, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation.
The bridge, which opened on March 23, 1977, had just celebrated its 47th anniversary.
The crash shut down the seaport, which serves more than 50 ocean carrier companies whose vessels make about 1,800 annual visits to the port, according to state officials.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio, Alex Grainger, Sam Sweeney and Felicia Alvarez contributed to this story.
Recovery efforts are underway as divers plunge back into Patapsco River Wednesday morning with hopes of recovering the bodies of six construction workers who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday morning when a cargo ship rammed into the bridge, causing it to collapse.
Listen to WTOP online and on the radio at 103.5 FM or 107.7 FM for our team coverage.
A Coast Guard cutter passes a cargo ship that is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship his the bridge Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)(Courtesy AP/Steve Helber)
A Coast Guard cutter passes a cargo ship that is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship his the bridge Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)(Courtesy AP/Steve Helber)
Recovery efforts are underway as divers plunge back into Patapsco River Wednesday morning with hopes of recovering the bodies of six construction workers who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday morning when a powerless cargo ship rammed into the bridge, causing it to collapse.
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search and recovery operation for the workers at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, saying that due to the amount of time that had elapsed since the initial collapse and the cold water temperatures, they did not expect to find any of the workers alive.
Even though the operation has shifted away from search and rescue, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Wednesday morning there’s still a sense of urgency in the recovery mission.
“The top priority for me right now is still the recovery, we’ve got to bring these families closure,” Moore said Wednesday.
The divers have already been back in the water searching for hours, Moore said just before 8:30 a.m.
“I can’t stress enough the heroism of these folks,” Moore said. “They are in frigid conditions, they are down there in darkness where they can literally see about a foot in front of them. They are trying to navigate mangled metal. And they’re also in a place that it is now presumed that people have lost their lives.”
More Key Bridge collapse coverage:
Reports came in around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday that a large vessel had crashed into a column in the central part of the bridge that carries north and southbound lanes of Interstate 695. It’s not clear what caused the actual crash, but the ship’s crew notified authorities of a power issue through a mayday call before it struck the bridge.
Sound of first responders from Broadcastify/AP
Radio communication between emergency responders illustrates how police had roughly 90 seconds to cut off traffic on the bridge before it crumbled.
The officers can be heard discussing how traffic must be stopped to make sure no one is on the bridge because a ship lost control of its steering. They mention the construction crew.
Around a minute into the recording, the vessel struck the bridge and a destructive scene immediately unfolded.
“The whole bridge just fell down,” one officer said. “Start, start whoever, everybody … the whole bridge just collapsed.”
Because of the warning, Moore said port authority workers were able to stop traffic and prevent more vehicles from traveling onto the bridge.
“These people are heroes,” Moore said. “They saved lives last night.”
Two other workers were rescued, with one of them remaining in serious condition as of Tuesday night, Moore said. The other was uninjured. Their crew was repairing potholes on the bridge when the container ship crashed into it, Paul Wiedefeld, the state’s transportation secretary, said.
Jesus Campos, who has worked on the bridge for Brawner Builders and knows members of the crew, said he was told they were on a break and some were sitting in their trucks.
Among the missing were people from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, according to diplomats from those countries.
Guatemala’s consulate in Maryland confirmed that two of the missing were Guatemalan citizens working on the bridge
Three Mexicans were on the bridge. One was rescued, and two are missing, said Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The Honduran man was identified as Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval by that country’s deputy foreign affairs minister.
While U.S. authorities have not named any of the construction workers, a Maryland-based immigrant rights group said one of its longtime members is among those who are presumed dead. In a news release, CASA said Miguel Luna, from El Salvador was missing.
The group said Luna was “a husband, a father of three, and has called Maryland his home for over 19 years.”
Maryland State Police said there is no evidence anyone went into the water, other than the workers, but they haven’t discounted the possibility.
Synergy Marine Group, manages the ship, which is called Dali. In a news release the group said one crew member who was injured on the vessel was taken to the hospital and later discharged. All other crew members along with the two pilots are safe.
The management group also said its emergency response team is in Baltimore, “to support the ongoing efforts to ensure crew safety, maintain vessel integrity and facilitate the swift and safe reopening of the waterway.”
Investigators board ship
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, and the agency’s chair Jennifer Homendy said she believes a small team briefly boarded the ship Tuesday night.
“The preliminary investigation points to an accident,” Moore said.
Investigators had previously held off on boarding the ship earlier in the day to make room for the Coast Guard’s search efforts, she said.
The U.S. Coast Guard was able to get the voyage data recorder off the ship, Homendy told WTOP.
NTSB was able to download the recorder and send it off to a lab, she said.
“That will give us help, give us a lot of information about the vessel and the operation of the vessel,” Homendy said. “It will begin to develop a timeline of events for us of what led to the striking of the bridge.”
A larger group of investigators is expected to board the ship Wednesday in search of indicators that could point to what went wrong onboard, Homendy said. That gathering of evidence will include collecting electronic information like logs as well as documenting information about the vessel and the bridge.
While she said officials’ highest priority is the recovery effort for the construction workers, NTSB is also working to collect evidence while the wreckage is still in place.
“This will get cleaned up and moved very quickly at some point, and that all of that evidence would be gone,” she said, adding that it’s “utter devastation.”
Major shipping hub shut down to vessel traffic
Baltimore’s Key Bridge was built in 1977 and named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It spans the Patapsco River, a vital artery that, along with the Port of Baltimore, is a hub for shipping on the East Coast.
Ship traffic entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore is suspended until further notice. Maryland Congressman David Trone was told in a briefing the port’s closure will cost the economy at least $15 million a day, according to a statement from his office.
The crash will disrupt the country’s shipping industry and undoubtedly create headaches for commuters who reply on the bridge.
President Joe Biden said the federal government should pay for rebuilding the bridge, and Moore said he’s discussing his legislative options to speed up the recovery with Maryland’s General Assembly and the Biden administration.
“We know that this is going to have to be all hands on deck when we’re talking about the long-term recovery and for what it’s going to mean, not just for elements of the Key Bridge, but all the other elements that this has impacted,” Moore said.
Trone, who is a member of the house appropriations committee, echoed that it will be a team effort to rebuild.
“Right now at the federal level, we’re actively exploring the use of ‘quick release’ emergency relief funds in partnership with Secretary Buttigieg and the urgent deployment of Congressionally approved funding,” Trone wrote in a statement Wednesday.
In 2023, the port handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo. Moore said the harbor is responsible for $191 million of economic activity daily.
“For everybody who was buying cars, for everybody who was buying farm equipment, we’re the largest port in the country that does that,” he said Wednesday morning while speaking with reporters. “This is not just impacting Maryland.”
Moore said he’s “overwhelmed” by the amount of support from fellow governors, philanthropists and others looking to help.
“Maryland, we really appreciate the love that’s been coming from around the country and the support,” Moore said. “I tell them, the people who need it most of these families>”
WTOP’s Luke Lukert and Ciara Wells and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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BALTIMORE, Md. — Recovery efforts resume Wednesday in the search for six missing construction workers who were said to be on Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship Tuesday morning. They are presumed dead, officials said Tuesday.
Two Guatemalans and a Salvadoran are are among the missing, foreign officials and local aid group said. A Mexican Embassy official in Washington said some missing are also Mexican, though he did not say how many. The family of a man form Honduras also said their loved one has not come home after working on the bridge.
“Based on the length of time that we’ve gone in the search, the extensive search efforts that we put into it, the water temperature — at this point, we do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive,” Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath told reporters.
Here’s what we know about the missing workers:
Local authorities have yet to confirm the identities of those missing but have said they include construction workers who were on the bridge at the time of the collapse. However, foreign officials and a local aid group said construction workers originally from Guatemala and El Salvador are among the six missing.
Eight construction workers who were fixing potholes on the span plunged into the frigid water as the bridge collapsed early Tuesday, officials said. Two were pulled from the water, including one who was hospitalized, according to officials. He has since been released from the hospital, according to ABC News.
The two from Guatemala who are missing are a 26-year-old from San Luis, Petén, and a 35-year-old from Camotán, Chiquimula, the country’s foreign ministry said. Their names were not released.
“The Consul General of Guatemala in Maryland was able to establish telephone communication with the brothers of the two missing Guatemalans,” the ministry said in a statement posted in Spanish.
A father of 3 who called Maryland home for 19 years
Miguel Luna was on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed Tuesday, according to a statement from Court Appointed Special Advocates, a nonprofit that provides critical services to working-class and immigrant families.
The missing worker is originally from El Salvador, according to CASA.
“Sadly, we discovered that one of the construction workers involved was a longtime member of our CASA family, adding an even deeper layer of sorrow to this already grievous situation,” CASA Executive Director Gustavo Torres said in the statement.
“Miguel Luna, from El Salvador, left at 6:30 p.m. Monday evening for work and … has not come home. He is a husband, a father of three, and has called Maryland his home for over 19 years,” the statement said.
“The entire Baltimore region and CASA family is lamenting this tragedy,” Torres said. “Our hearts ache for the families of the victims and all those impacted by this horrific accident.”
CNN has tried to reach Luna’s family members for more information.
CASA said it is working to provide humanitarian support as families grapple with the tragedy and seek answers about missing loved ones.
A father of 2 who juggled multiple jobs
Martin Suazo’s family called him early Tuesday with devastating news. His brother, 38-year-old Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, had been doing maintenance work on Key Bridge when it collapsed into the river, he told CNN.
At first, the family held out hope, believing that Suazo would be found alive, the brother said. But now they just hope his body can be recovered so the family can have some closure and give him a proper goodbye.
Suazo is from Azacualpa, Santa Bárbara in Honduras but has been living in the United States for the last 18 years, his brother said. He is a married father of two – an 18-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter, Martin Suazo added.
He has been doing construction work but is also an entrepreneur who had started his own maintenance company. He ventured to the US in search of a better life, Martin Suazo said.
Suazo, who lives in Honduras, said his family is grateful for the support they have received from the FBI, the Honduran Embassy in Washington and the governor of Maryland, who has promised to do all he can to find and recover the bodies.
The family had been informed that the search was suspended Tuesday night due to the difficult weather conditions but were told that recovery efforts would resume Wednesday morning, the brother said.
Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said that operations were halted overnight due to dangerous conditions, including “very unstable” sections of the steel bridge and shipping containers hanging from the cargo ship, CNN reported.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Tuesday, “We’re still fully committed to making sure that we’re going to use every single asset to now bring a sense of closure to the families.”
The conditions in the water, including low water temperatures and unpredictable currents, have made it dangerous for first responders, authorities said.
Authorities said they plan to conduct recovery efforts starting at 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
“We’re hoping to put divers in the water and begin a more detailed search to do our very best to recover those six missing people,” Col. Roland Butler with the Maryland State Police said.
BALTIMORE — A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing and presumed dead, and the search for them was suspended until the next day.
The ship’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland’s governor said.
The ship struck one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to collapse like a toy. A section of the span came to rest on the bow of the vessel, which caught fire.
Video shows Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse after ship strike
With the ship barreling toward the bridge at “a very, very rapid speed,” authorities had just enough time to stop cars from coming over the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
“These people are heroes,” Moore said. “They saved lives last night.”
In the evening, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police, announced that the search and rescue mission was transitioning to one of search and recovery. He also said the search was being put on pause and divers would return to the site at 6 a.m. Wednesday, when challenging overnight conditions are expected to improve.
Authorities announce 6 presumed dead after Baltimore bridge collapse; U.S. Coast Guard suspends active search
The six people still unaccounted for were part of a construction crew filling potholes on the bridge, said Paul Wiedefeld, the state’s transportation secretary.
Rescuers pulled two people out of the water. One person was treated at a hospital and discharged hours later.
Five submerged vehicles have also been found in the water, Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace told CNN.
Authorities have been able to find three passenger vehicles, a cement truck and a fifth vehicle submerged in the water using infrared and side-scan sonar technology, according to Wallace.
A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
“It looked like something out of an action movie,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy.”
Given the vessel’s massive weight, it struck the bridge support with significant force, said Roberto Leon, a Virginia Tech engineering professor.
“The only way the post can resist it is by bending,” Leon said. “But it cannot absorb anywhere near the energy that this humongous ship is bringing. So it’s going to break.”
Last June, federal inspectors rated the 47-year-old bridge in fair condition. But the structure did not appear to have pier protection to withstand the crash, experts said.
Five submerged vehicles have also been found in the water.
“If a bridge pier without adequate protection is hit by a ship of this size, there is very little that the bridge could do,” Leon said.
A police dispatcher put out a call just before the collapse saying a ship had lost its steering and asked officers to stop all traffic on the bridge, according to Maryland Transportation Authority first responder radio traffic obtained from the Broadcastify.com archive.
One officer who stopped traffic radioed that he was going to drive onto the bridge to alert the construction crew. But seconds later, a frantic officer said: “The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever, everybody … the whole bridge just collapsed.”
On a separate radio channel for maintenance and construction workers, someone said officers were stopping traffic because a ship had lost steering. There was no follow-up order to evacuate, and 30 seconds later the bridge fell and the channel went silent.
Impacts from the collapse
From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collision, according to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.
The collapse is sure to create a logistical nightmare for months, if not years, along the East Coast, shutting down ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore, a major shipping hub. The accident will also snarl cargo and commuter traffic.
Helicopter video shows the aftermath of a Baltimore bridge collapse after being hit by a ship.
“Losing this bridge will devastate the entire area, as well as the entire East Coast,” Maryland state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling said.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, speaking at a news conference near the site, said it was too soon to estimate how long it will take to clear the channel, which is about 50 feet (15 meters) deep.
“I do not know of a bridge that has been constructed to withstand a direct impact from a vessel of this size,” he said.
Carnival Cruise Line said Tuesday that it is temporarily moving its Baltimore operations to Norfolk, Virginia following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
Carnival Legend is scheduled to return from its current voyage on Sunday, March 31. Officials said guests will return to Norfolk on Sunday and be bussed back to Baltimore.
The next seven-day Carnival Legend trip scheduled for March 31 will operate out of Norfolk.
The 948-foot container ship Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd, struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge at about 1:30 a.m., officials say
Royal Caribbean International’s Vision of the Seas is set to return to Baltimore on April 4, however no official changes have been made.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragedy and collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and extend our heartfelt prayers to all those impacted. We are closely monitoring the situation, and our port logistics team is currently working on alternatives for Vision of the Seas’ ongoing and upcoming sailings,” said a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean.
‘It felt like an earthquake’
According to a Coast Guard memo obtained by ABC News, a harbor pilot and an assistant aboard the cargo ship reported the power issues that prompted multiple alarms on the bridge of the vessel and loss of propulsion.
Synergy Marine Group – which manages the ship, called the Dali – confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while in control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help guide vessels safely into and out of ports. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd.
Synergy said all crew members and the two pilots on board were accounted for, and there were no reports of any injuries.
The ship was moving at 8 knots, roughly 9 mph (14.8 kph), the governor said.
PHOTOS: Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapses after cargo ship rams into support column
A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Pasadena, Md.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Jagged remnants of the bridge could be seen jutting up from the water’s surface. The on-ramp ended abruptly where the span once began.
Donald Heinbuch, a retired chief with Baltimore’s fire department, said he was startled awake by a deep rumbling that shook his house for several seconds. “It felt like an earthquake,” he said.
He drove to the river’s edge and couldn’t believe what he saw.
Baltimore Governor Wes Moore discusses latest updates after 6 presumed dead in bridge collapse
“The ship was there, and the bridge was in the water, like it was blown up,” he said.
The bridge spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to a busy harbor, which leads to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore — the 9th largest port in the U.S. — is suspended until further notice, however, officials said the port is still open for truck transactions.
The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic. The container ship is about 985 feet (300 meters) long and about 157 feet (48 meters) wide, according to the website.
Inspectors found a problem with the Dali’s machinery in June, but a more recent examination did not identify any deficiencies, according to the shipping information system Equasis.
The most recent inspection listed for the Dali was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York in September. The “standard examination” didn’t identify any deficiencies, according to the Equasis data.
Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel.
The bridge, which is part of Interstate 695, opened in 1977 and crosses the Patapsco River in Baltimore’s harbor. It is a vital artery, that along with the Port of Baltimore, is a hub for shipping on the East Coast.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the overview of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Md., on May 6, 2023.
(Maxaar Technologies via AP)
Last year, the Port of Baltimore handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion, according to the state.
The head of a supply chain management company said Americans should expect shortages of goods from the effect of the collapse on ocean container shipping and East Coast trucking.
“It’s not just the port of Baltimore that’s going to be impacted,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of Flexport.
The collapse, though, is not likely to hurt worldwide trade because Baltimore is not a major port for container vessels, but its facilities are more important when it comes to goods such as farm equipment and autos, said Judah Levine, head of research for global freight booking platform Freightos.
Detours and logistics
Drivers are being told to avoid the I-695 southeast corridor and use I-95 and I-895 as alternatives.
“I-695 is being detoured southbound at exit 43 (Peninsula Expressway) and northbound at Exit 2 (Route 10),” Wiedefeld said.
ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Early Tuesday morning, a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the structure to collapse into the Patapsco River below. Maryland governor Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency as search teams comb the frigid waters for at least six people who are currently missing following the collapse. Here’s what we know so far about the incident.
At 1:27 a.m., the U.S. Coast Guard was notified that a 948-foot container ship had struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, resulting in a collapse of the bridge. During an initial press conference, fire officials said the department received a call at 1:40 a.m. about a water rescue in the area of the bridge with more reports continuing to come in. Units began to arrive on the scene at 1:50 a.m.; they reported that the bridge had fully collapsed and that there were likely several people on it when the ship struck the structure.
Search-and-rescue teams have saved two people so far. One person was unharmed and refused treatment while another was transported to a nearby trauma center “in very serious condition.” Baltimore fire chief James Wallace told reporters early that morning that teams are searching for “upwards of seven people” but said that figure was preliminary and could change as the search continues. Sonar has detected the presence of vehicles submerged in the water.
During a subsequent press conference, officials confirmed that eight people were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, with two of them now accounted for. The Baltimore Banner reports that the missing people are believed to be members of a construction crew that were working on the bridge repairing potholes when the ship struck.
The Coast Guard is taking part in the search, providing three small boats, an 87-foot-long patrol boat, and a helicopter. The FBI’s Baltimore office said on social media that its personnel are on the scene alongside its “local, state and federal partners.” The National Transportation Safety Board is also sending a team to Baltimore, per NBC News.
Governor Moore issued an official state of emergency, saying in a statement that his office is working to “quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration.” The governor told reporters that the incident did not appear to be the result of a deliberate attack. “The preliminary investigation points to an accident. We haven’t seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack,” he said.
President Joe Biden commented on the collapse this afternoon, offering his prayers to everyone involved in the incident and indicating that he intends to travel to Baltimore as soon as possible. “It’s my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge and I expect the Congress to support my effort,” he said. “This is going to take some time and the people of Baltimore can count on us though to stick with them at every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt.”
The ship involved in the incident is the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali,which was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka. An unclassified memo from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the Coast Guard reported that the Dali had “lost propulsion” as it was leaving Baltimore Harbor, per CBS News. The ship notified the local transportation department that it had lost control of the vessel.
Moore said that the ship was able to issue a “mayday” call which allowed officials to halt traffic prior to the bridge collapse, likely saving more lives.
Synergy Marine Group, the company operating the ship, said in a statement that its two pilots and its entire crew have all been accounted for and there are currently no reports of injuries. CNN reports that the ship was using local pilots to navigate the ship, a common occurrence that is meant to minimize situations like this.
The 1.6-mile-long bridge was part of I-695 and was one of Baltimore’s toll crossings. The Baltimore Sun reports that the Francis Scott Key Bridge transported 12.4 million passenger and commercial vehicles in 2023.
The Maryland Transportation Authority is diverting traffic from the area of the bridge, urging commuters to use I-95 or I-895 instead. The Port of Baltimore announced that vessel traffic in and out of the port is suspended indefinitely following the collapse, but said that trucks are still being processed within its terminals.
The FAA has implemented flight restrictions around the site of the collapse, issuing a warning on social media to drone pilots to not interfere with emergency operations.
BALTIMORE, Md. — A container ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday after losing propulsion, causing a “catastrophic collapse,” sending vehicles and people into the water, officials in Maryland said.
A ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse, sending vehicles and people into the water, officials said.
“At this time, it is an active search and rescue mission,” said Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld. “We know there were individuals on the bridge at the time of the collapse, working on the bridge.”
At a press conference early Tuesday morning officials said two people were rescued, with one of those people said to be in very serious condition. The other person did not need medical treatment.
The Maryland Transportation Authority said the collapse occurred due to ship strike.
The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting search and rescue for those who remain unaccounted for as a result of the bridge collapse.
What to know about the collapse
“I can confirm at 1:35 a.m., Baltimore City police were notified of a partial bridge collapse, with workers possibly in the water, at the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” the Baltimore Police Department said in a statement. Officials have since said the bridge has “fully collapsed.”
The Maryland Transportation Authority said the collapse occurred “due to ship strike.”
A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.
The vessel appears to have hit one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the roadway to break apart in several places and plunge into the water, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Multiple vehicles plunged from the bridge at the time of the collapse, the Baltimore City Fire Department said. Divers were searching for at least seven people in the water, the department said.
Response boat crews from Coast Guard Stations Curtis Bay and Annapolis have crews deployed to the incident for active search and rescue, according to USCG. A Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and Coast Guard investigators and pollution responders are also en route to the incident.
Helicopter video shows the aftermath of a Baltimore bridge collapse after being hit by a ship.
“An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast is issued regarding the incident and there has been a 2000-yard safety zone issued for the surrounding waters. Mariners are urged to avoid the area,” USCG said.
“This is a dire emergency,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”
Emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Cartwright said, though he said it’s too early to know how many people were affected. He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”
He added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge.
The 948-foot container ship Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd, struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge at about 1:30 a.m., officials say
He said agencies received 911 calls around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a ship leaving Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge. Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.
The temperature in the river was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Ship lost propulsion, warned of collision, CISA report says
An unclassified Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency report said the container ship Dali “lost propulsion” as it was leaving port and warned Maryland officials of a possible collision.
The crew notified officials that they had lost control, the report said.
“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel and an collision with the bridge was possible,” the report said. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”
The waterway into and out of the port has been closed and there is no other route into the port, which is the second busiest port in the mid-Atlantic.
The 948-foot container ship Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd, struck the bridge at about 1:30 a.m., according to a ship-tracking company.
A ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, causing a partial collapse and sending vehicles and people into the water, officials said.
“All crew members, including the two pilots have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries,” Synergy Marine Group said in a statement.
The company said the 22 crew members, including the pilots, were based in India.
The cause of the crash is “yet to be determined,” the statement said.
‘No indications this was an intentional act,’ Mayorkas says
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said “there are no indications this was an intentional act,” adding, “we are assessing the impacts to the Port of Baltimore.”
“Our thoughts are with the families of the missing and injured,” he said.
Detours and logistics
Drivers are being told to avoid the I-695 southeast corridor and use I-95 and I-895 as alternatives.
“I-695 is being detoured southbound at exit 43 (Peninsula Expressway) and northbound at Exit 2 (Route 10),” Wiedefeld said.
MDOT, USCG give update on Baltimore bridge collapse
Vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore is suspended until further notice, however, officials said the port is still open for truck transactions.
The bridge, which is part of Interstate 695, opened in 1977 and crosses the Patapsco River in Baltimore’s harbor. It is a vital artery, that along with the Port of Baltimore, is a hub for shipping on the East Coast.
It is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Last year, more than 12 million cars traversed over the bridge, according to ABC News.
From a vantage point near the entrance to the bridge, jagged remnants of its steel frame were visible protruding from the water, with the on-ramp ending abruptly where the span once began.
Governor declares state of emergency
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency following the collapse.
“We are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration,” Moore said in a statement.
White House ‘closely monitoring’ bridge collapse
The White House said early Tuesday it was “closely monitoring” the situation in Baltimore, where a cargo ship struck a major bridge.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those who remain missing as a result of this horrific incident,” a White House official said.
There was no indication of “any nefarious intent,” an official said.
President Joe Biden has also been briefed on the collapse and the ongoing search and rescue efforts, according to a White House official. He will continue to receive updates from his team throughout the day, the official said.
Senior White House officials have been in touch with the Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor to offer any federal assistance they need, the administration said.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also said he has spoken to Maryland’s governor and Baltimore’s mayor, offering USDOT support.
FBI Baltimore personnel are also at the scene to assist.
“We are aware of the incident in Baltimore. The priority is ensuring the safety of those affected as a search and rescue operation is underway. We expect an investigation report will be submitted to IMO in due course,” the International Maritime Organization said in a statement.
In 2001, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in a tunnel in downtown Baltimore and caught fire, spewing black smoke into surrounding neighborhoods and forcing officials to temporarily close all major roads into the city.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
BALTIMORE, Md. — A container ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, causing it to collapse, sending vehicles and people into the water, officials in Maryland said.
What to know about the collapse
“I can confirm at 1:35 a.m., Baltimore City police were notified of a partial bridge collapse, with workers possibly in the water, at the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” the Baltimore Police Department said in a statement. Officials have since said the bridge has “fully collapsed.”
The Maryland Transportation Authority said the collapse occurred “due to ship strike.”
A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.
The 948-foot container ship Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, struck the bridge at about 1:30 a.m., according to a ship-tracking company.
The vessel appears to have hit one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the roadway to break apart in several places and plunge into the water, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The ship caught fire and appeared to sink.
Multiple vehicles plunged from the bridge at the time of the collapse, the Baltimore City Fire Department said. Divers were searching for at least seven people in the water, the department said.
Response boat crews from Coast Guard Stations Curtis Bay and Annapolis have crews deployed to the incident for active search and rescue, according to USCG. A Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and Coast Guard investigators and pollution responders are also en route to the incident.
“An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast is issued regarding the incident and there has been a 2000-yard safety zone issued for the surrounding waters. Mariners are urged to avoid the area,” USCG said.
The bridge, which is part of Interstate 695, opened in 1977 and crosses the Patapsco River in Baltimore’s harbor. It is a vital artery, that along with the Port of Baltimore, is a hub for shipping on the East Coast.
A ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, causing a partial collapse and sending vehicles and people into the water, officials said.
It is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“This is a dire emergency,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”
Emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Cartwright said, though he said it’s too early to know how many people were affected. He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”
He added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge.
Emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Cartwright said, though he said it’s too early to know how many people were affected. He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”
Aerial view of Baltimore bridge collapse
He said agencies received 911 calls around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a ship leaving Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge. Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.
The temperature in the river was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
From a vantage point near the entrance to the bridge, jagged remnants of its steel frame were visible protruding from the water, with the on-ramp ending abruptly where the span once began.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.
“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge,” MDTA officials said in a statement at about 2 a.m. on Tuesday. “Traffic is being detoured.”
Governor declares state of emergency
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency following the collapse.
“We are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration,” Moore said in a statement.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said he has spoken to Maryland’s governor and Baltimore’s mayor, offering USDOT support.
FBI Baltimore personnel are also at the scene to assist.
“We are aware of the incident in Baltimore. The priority is ensuring the safety of those affected as a search and rescue operation is underway. We expect an investigation report will be submitted to IMO in due course,” the International Maritime Organization said in a statement.
In 2001, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in a tunnel in downtown Baltimore and caught fire, spewing black smoke into surrounding neighborhoods and forcing officials to temporarily close all major roads into the city.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
BALTIMORE, Md. — A container ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, causing it to collapse, sending vehicles and people into the water, officials in Maryland said.
What to know about the collapse
“I can confirm at 1:35 a.m., Baltimore City police were notified of a partial bridge collapse, with workers possibly in the water, at the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” the Baltimore Police Department said in a statement. Officials have since said the bridge has “fully collapsed.”
The Maryland Transportation Authority said the collapse occurred “due to ship strike.”
A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.
The container ship Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, struck the bridge at about 1:30 a.m., according to a ship-tracking company.
The vessel appears to have hit one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the roadway to break apart in several places and plunge into the water, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The ship caught fire and appeared to sink.
Multiple vehicles plunged from the bridge at the time of the collapse, the Baltimore City Fire Department said. Divers were searching for least seven people in the water, the department said.
The bridge, which is part of Interstate 695, opened in 1977 and crosses the Patapsco River in Baltimore’s harbor. It is a vital artery, that along with the Port of Baltimore, is a hub for shipping on the East Coast.
A ship struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, causing a partial collapse and sending vehicles and people into the water, officials said.
It is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“This is a dire emergency,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”
Emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Cartwright said, though he said it’s too early to know how many people were affected. He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”
He added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge.
Emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Cartwright said, though he said it’s too early to know how many people were affected. He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”
He said agencies received 911 calls around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a ship leaving Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge. Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.
The temperature in the river was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
From a vantage point near the entrance to the bridge, jagged remnants of its steel frame were visible protruding from the water, with the on-ramp ending abruptly where the span once began.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.
“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge,” MDTA officials said in a statement at about 2 a.m. on Tuesday. “Traffic is being detoured.”
Governor declares state of emergency
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency following the collapse.
“We are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration,” Moore said in a statement.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said he has spoken to Maryland’s governor and Baltimore’s mayor, offering USDOT support.
FBI Baltimore personnel are also at the scene to assist.
In 2001, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in a tunnel in downtown Baltimore and caught fire, spewing black smoke into surrounding neighborhoods and forcing officials to temporarily close all major roads into the city.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
