Quick Facts: Baltimore Bridge Collapse

• Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early this morning
• Livestream video captured the moment a cargo ship collided with one of the bridge’s support columns, leading to a complete collapse.
• Two people rescued, several cars plunged into Patapsco River being labeled a “mass casualty”
• The United States Coast Guard is on site
• The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has begun an initial investigation
• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has restricted drone flights around the area

Early Tuesday morning around 1:30 AM on March 26, 2024, a large container ship collided into a support column of Baltimore’s 1.6-mile long Francis Scott Key Bridge prompting it to collapse. The bridge is estimated to serve over 30,000 daily drivers. In the collapse, 20 people are estimated to have fallen into the frigid river as a result of this collision; two survivors have been reported and others were still missing several hours later. Livestream video indicated that the cargo vessel had a mechanical issue prior to the incident. The 984-foot long cargo ship known as Dali, operated by Singaporean company Synergy Group, had only spent two days in Baltimore’s port and was only 30 minutes into its voyage. According to The Guardian, Dali was also involved in a collision while leaving the port of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016.

Multiple federal and state agencies are already on scene to coordinate rescue and recovery as well as to understand root causes and assess the impact.