Baltimore’s Mayor is speaking out about rescue efforts following a calamitous bridge collapse after being hit by a cargo ship. Rescue teams are working to save people from the water after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse on Tuesday morning.
“This is going to be an ongoing search and rescue,” Mayor Brandon M. Scott told Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan via phone. “They will be doing that work to make sure that we can save every soul possible.”
“There were individuals on this bridge when the tragedy happened. We have our fire teams, our marine teams, our police and marine teams out there,” Scott added.
“Now with the sunlight coming up, we can actually put drivers in the water to try to save souls. And that’s where the focus is and will remain for us for quite some time.”
Scott described the challenge of the rescue operation due to the frigid waters of the Patapsco River. “We’re dealing with obviously the tide coming in, so it’s very windy. So we understand this is not an easy operation for them,” he added.
Devastating Footage of the Baltimore Bridge Crumbling Into the River Has Been Released
Footage of the moment of impact made its way to X (formerly Twitter). The massive cargo ship can be seen colliding with Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
The bridge crumbles instantly upon impact. The footage shows both the vessel and the bridge itself losing power when the collision happens.
Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace told the press on Tuesday morning that it was an ongoing search and rescue operation. The Coast Guard was also assisting.
“We may be looking for upwards of seven individuals, that’s the latest information we have,” Chief Wallace told reporters. Wallace stated the search was ongoing in the water and on the ship’s deck. Sonar detected vehicles in the river.
Wallace disclosed that two people were rescued from the water. One person was unharmed, while another is in a “very serious” condition and is now under treatment at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Officials stated that the injured person has not been able to communicate with investigators yet.
In the early hours, around 1:30 a.m., the fire department was alerted to a situation where a vessel had collided with a bridge column, as reported through 911 calls. The number of vehicles present on the bridge was not confirmed, but it was confirmed that a tractor-trailer was involved in the incident.