Ship's crew warned of power issues before it collided with a Baltimore bridge, governor says; 6 remain missing

A massive container ship lost power early Tuesday before crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River along with people and vehicles, officials said.

A massive container ship lost power early Tuesday before crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River along with people and vehicles, officials said.

At least six people believed to be part of a construction crew that was repairing potholes on the bridge remain unaccounted for, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said at a news conference Tuesday.

Two people have been pulled from the Patapsco River, Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James Wallace said. One of them was not injured and the other was taken to a local trauma centre in “very serious condition,” he said.

The crew of the ship notified officials that it had lost power prior to the crash, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said, noting the warning likely saved lives.

“We’re thankful that between the mayday and the collapse, that we had officials who were able to begin to stop the flow of traffic so more cars were not on the bridge,” Moore said. He called those officials heroes.

“I’m thankful for the folks who, once the warning came up, and once notification came up that there was a mayday, who literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge, these people are heroes,” Moore said.

Moore noted that the bridge was up to code at the time of the collapse. He said the collapse was a “shocking and heartbreaking” event for the people of Maryland who have used the bridge for 47 years.