Semi truck plunged into water in Francis Scott Key bridge collapse

A semi truck was thrown into the water during the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse in Maryland early on Tuesday morning. 

The incident occurred just before 1:30 a.m. on March 26th, when a container ship from Singapore struck the bridge over the Patapsco River, causing it to collapse. The four-lane bridge is 1.6 miles long and connects to the Baltimore harbor, as well as Interstate 695. 

Construction workers working with the state transportation agency were working on repairs on the bridge at the time of the collapse. It is unclear how many workers were on the bridge at the time of the collapse. 

According to CNN, two people have been rescued from the river as of 8:15 a.m. CDT. One of those people was unhurt, and the other is in “very serious condition.” Multiple vehicles are believed to have been thrown into the water during the incident, including a tractor trailer. 

“We have an unspeakable tragedy,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott of the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse. “There were individuals working on the bridge at the time. There are cars in the water – our fire department has confirmed that as they lead this search-and-rescue mission through sonar. That is where our focus is – it’s about those souls, those people we’re trying to find and get out of this water.”

“The conditions are difficult,” said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. “We’re talking about a deep channel port. It’s 40, 50 feet of water, strong currents. The weather is windy, the water is cold. And so we certainly worry about those who are in the water, not to mention the fall from the bridge.”

Investigators say that there is currently  “absolutely no indication that it was intentional,” destruction by the ship operators. All traffic is being detoured away from the bridge.