(BBC News) A major bridge in the U.S. city of Baltimore has collapsed into the Patapsco River after a container ship crashed into it.
The bridge snapped and plunged into the water at about 01:30 ET (05:30 GMT) along with vehicles and people.
A huge search operation is under way for six missing people, authorities say, while two others have been pulled from the water, one of whom was hospitalized.
All of them are believed to be part of a construction crew that was repairing potholes at the time the bridge collapsed.
The ship is now wedged into debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which is 3 km long and part of a major highway.
It suffered a “power issue” and issued a distress call moments before the crash, officials say, but was travelling too quickly to change course.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore says the bridge will be rebuilt “in a way that remembers the people this tragedy has impacted.”
President Biden said his government will cover the “entire cost” of rebuilding the bridge and getting the port functioning again.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-68663071?src_origin=BBCS_BBC
