Six people are missing and a search-and-rescue operation is underway nearly 12 hours after a cargo ship crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The cargo ship Dali, which was headed to Sri Lanka, hit a bridge support after losing power around 1:30 a.m., causing the steel structure to fall into the water. The ship had and issued a mayday call.
President Biden spoke on the catastrophe from the White House, saying it was his intention that the federal government would pay to rebuild the Key Bridge.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said eight people were on the bridge at the time, and two have been accounted for.
“So many of us know that bridge because it is our normal commute,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at the news conference.
The bridge, on Interstate 695, carries tens of thousands of vehicles each day. Francis Scott Key Bridge, named for the writer of the national anthem, was opened in 1977.
6 presumed dead as Coast Guard suspends search
The six people missing from the bridge collapse are now presumed dead, the Coast Guard announced at a press conference Tuesday evening.
Officials said that water temperatures and currents are too hostile, making it impossible for a person to survive in the water since the bridge collapsed at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
“We do not believe that we are going to find any of these individuals still alive,” Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said.
The Coast Guard announced it suspended the search effort for the night, to be continued Wednesday. Gilreath emphasized that the search is not over, but that it is “just going to transition to a different phase.”
– Nick Robertson
East Coast ports make adjustments
Eastern seaboard ports are preparing to accept shipments of goods being rerouted from the Port of Baltimore following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning.
Port officials and private-sector distributors told The Hill that plans to divert cargo shipments are in the works due to the suspension of vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore.
“We’ve been in tons of meetings all day trying to figure out what to do about this,” said MacKenzie Chalmers, an administrative coordinator at marine terminal and industrial rail operator Tradepoint Atlantic, which works with big brands like Amazon, Home Depot, McCormick, BMW and Volkswagen, among others.
–Tobias Burns
Port of Baltimore vows reopening ASAP
The Port of Baltimore put forth its plan late Tuesday afternoon in a quick post on X, formerly Twitter: “We will reopen our channel and rebuild the bridge as soon as possible.”
NTSB details initial response to crash
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday that while her agency will be leading the investigation, the Coast Guard right now is leading operations after the cargo ship Dali destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
“We are standing back to allow the Coast Guard and search and rescue to continue their search and rescue operations,” Homendy said. “While we gather information from the command post.”
She said the voyage data recorder will be “critical” to the investigation.
The NTSB decided not to board the ship as the search for missing people continued.
“We chose not to board the vessel today to allow some time for the search and recovery, which we did not want to interfere with,” Homendy said during the press conference. She said the NTSB arrived on scene at 6 a.m. EDT.
The agency will look into the safety history of the ship and when the cargo vessel dropped its anchor.
— Filip Timotija
Buttigieg on scene
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is in Baltimore. He posted a photo Tuesday afternoon to X, formerly Twitter, of him talking with first responders and standing next to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
“Grateful to the first responders who’ve been on scene at the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” he said.
US automakers rerouting ships from Baltimore following bridge collapse
Automakers are looking to reroute their shipments from Baltimore after the bridge collapse.
General Motors said in a statement that the incident will have “minimal impact” to its operations, adding that it is working to reroute “any vehicle shipments to other ports.”
Ford told Reuters in a statement that “where workarounds are necessary in the short term, our team has already secured shipping alternatives.”
— Lauren Sforza
‘Tremendous economic impact’
The timing of the crash certainly minimized the potential human toll.
“Thank God it just didn’t happen during the day,” Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) told CNN on Tuesday of the bridge collapse, noting 12 million vehicles use the bridge each year.
He warned of the effect this will have on commerce.
“It will be a tremendous economic impact,” he said.
“Losing this bridge will devastate the entire area, as well as the entire East Coast,” Maryland state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling said, according to The Associated Press.
Weather could impact rescue operations
Cold water poses a big threat to search-and-rescue operations in the Patapsco River, according to AccuWeather’s lead meteorologist.
“You’ve got a mix of helpful and challenging weather and environmental aspects impacting the critical rescue operations. Rescuers in the water need the proper equipment because hypothermia can set in at 30 or 45 minutes, even sooner with that type of chilly water,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said in a news release. “This is why even minute counts in the rescue operation – is essential that people that fell into the water are rescued and warmed up as quickly as possible.”
Biden vows to reopen port, rebuild Key Bridge with fed money
President Biden on Tuesday vowed to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed into the water when a cargo ship rammed into it, echoing what some Maryland officials said earlier but adding that he expects the federal government to foot the bill.
“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,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. “This is going to take some time but the people of Baltimore can count on us though to stick with them at every step of the way until the port is reopen and the bridge is rebuilt.
— Alex Gangitano
Biden says he’ll visit Baltimore ‘as soon as I can’
President Biden told reporters at the White House he would visit Baltimore “as soon as I can.”
The president provided an update on the situation from the White House, where he said two of the eight people have been rescued.
Biden also said his intention was that the federal government would pay for entire cost of reconstructing the bridge. He said he expects Congress to support that effort.
— Brett Samuels
Biden to address bridge collapse
President Biden is set to deliver remarks about the Baltimore bridge collapse Tuesday, according to the White House.
The president’s remarks will be at 12:30 p.m. from the Roosevelt Room of the White House. He is scheduled to leave for North Carolina right after, ahead of a speech in Raleigh at 3 p.m.
The White House has not yet announced if the president will travel to Baltimore to assess the situation.
— Alex Gangitano
Moore: ‘No estimate’ when shipping can resume
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said there is “no estimate” when shipping can be continued following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
“Right now our exclusive focus is on saving lives, our exclusive focus is on search and rescue,” Moore said during the Tuesday news conference.
The Port of Baltimore said on X, formerly Twitter, that it is closed to vessel traffic until further notice, but marine terminals are still processing trucks.
Buttigieg heads to Baltimore
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is headed to Baltimore, the Department of Transportation (DOT) office confirmed to The Hill.
Buttigieg was invited by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and will receive updates on the situation, according to the DOT office.
“I’ve spoken with Gov. Moore and Mayor Scott to offer USDOT’s support following the vessel strike and collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge,” Buttigieg said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
— Filip Timotija
Biden meets with senior aides on bridge response
President Biden convened senior aides at the White House for a briefing on the ongoing response to the bridge collapse, the White House said.
“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 and response to this incident,” the White House said.
— Brett Samuels
Singapore agency working with Coast Guard
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will perform an investigation into the Singapore-registered vessel that hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, the agency said in a statement Tuesday.
The MPA said it is in touch with the U.S. Coast Guard.
“MPA will provide full cooperation to the US Coast Guard in its investigations. MPA will also be investigating the incident.”
— Filip Timotija
8 people were on the bridge when it collapsed
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said that eight people were on Francis Scott Key Bridge, working on a construction project, filling potholes, when it collapsed early Tuesday morning.
Two of the people have been accounted for, and one is hospitalized.
The search is ongoing for the remaining six, Wiedefeld said during the news conference.
— Filip Timotija
‘Mayday’ call saved lives, governor says
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the ship sent a distress call before hitting the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Moore said the mayday call allowed authorities to halt traffic over the bridge.
“We’re thankful that between the ‘mayday’ and collapse that-that we had officials who were able to, to begin to stop the flow of traffic so more cars were not up on the bridge,” Moore said during a Tuesday morning news conference.
Moore called those people “heroes.”
— Filip Timotija
Biden briefed on bridge collapse
President Biden was briefed Tuesday morning on the bridge collapse in Baltimore, the White House said.
Biden, who is traveling to North Carolina during the afternoon, will continue to receive updates throughout the day.
— Brett Samuels
Coast Guard search underway
At a press conference Tuesday morning, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson said the branch is “actively searching” the water for survivors.
The Coast Guard is using crews from two area stations and a helicopter crew from Atlantic City, along with a cutter crew and an 87-foot patrol boat.
— Katie Wadington
FBI Baltimore: No ‘credible information’ on terrorism
The FBI’s Baltimore office said there is no “specific and credible information” tying the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge to terrorism, for now.
The office said the investigation is still ongoing.
“There is no specific and credible information to suggest any ties to terrorism at this time,” the office said Tuesday. “The investigation is ongoing. FBI Baltimore will continue to support our partners at the local, state, and federal levels.”
— Filip Timotija
Baltimore mayor asks CNN to stop showing ‘traumatizing’ bridge collapse video
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott asked CNN to stop showing video of the collapse, calling it “traumatizing.”
“Nobody needs to see a possibility of their family member being severely injured or otherwise,” he said.
Mayorkas said cargo ship collision was not intentional act
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said there are “no indications” the collision of the cargo ship that caused the collapse of the bridge in Baltimore was an “intentional act.”
He added the U.S. Coast Guard, overseen by DHS, was on the scene along with “our state and local partners and is actively involved in search and rescue operations this morning.”
“We are closely monitoring the tragic situation unfolding as a result of a containership colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore,” Mayorkas said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Our thoughts are with the families of the missing and injured.”
— Filip Timotija
Baltimore mayor declared local state of emergency in light of bridge collapse
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott declared a local state of emergency following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier this morning.
He said the city’s teams are “mobilizing” resources and looking to ensure the safety of the community.
“Our teams are mobilizing resources and working swiftly to address this crisis and ensure the safety and well-being of our community,” Scott said on X, formerly known as Twitter. He said the declaration took effect at 9 a.m. local time and could last up to 30 days.
— Filip Timotija
FAA halts drone flights around bridge
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enabled flight restrictions around the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed earlier this morning.
“If you fly, emergency response operations cannot,” the FAA said Tuesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
— Filip Timotija
Baltimore’s port set cargo record in 2023
The Port of Baltimore handled nearly 12 million tons of general cargo in 2023, according to the agency’s website, setting a record.
The port, the closest East Coast port to the Midwest, also hit a benchmark on international cargo, handling “a record 52.3 million tons of international cargo, valued at $80.8 billion.”
“Nationally, Baltimore ranks 9th for both total dollar value and tonnage of international cargo,” according to the site.
Buttigieg: Feds offering support to Maryland, Baltimore
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said early Tuesday morning that his department is working closely with regional agencies on the Baltimore bridge collapse.
“I’ve spoken with Gov. Moore and Mayor Scott to offer USDOT’s support following the vessel strike and collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge. Rescue efforts remain underway and drivers in the Baltimore area should follow local responder guidance on detours and response,” he tweeted.
Workers were on bridge at time of collapse
Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld told reporters that work was being performed on the bridge at the time.
“We know there were individuals on the bridge at the time of the collapse, working on the bridge, contractors for us,” he said at a press conference Tuesday. But he added that officials did not know how many vehicles were involved.
— Filip Timotija