A cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing a collapse and sending vehicles into the water.
Six construction workers, reported to be hail from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico are missing and presumed dead.
Officials say up to 20 people and several vehicles had fallen into the river declaring a ‘mass casualty event’.
Two people have been rescued, with one severely injured.
A video posted on X appears to show the vessel striking one of the bridge’s central supports, causing much of the 2.6km bridge to give way as a number of vehicles fall into the Patapsco River below.
Rescue efforts are ongoing amid concerns about unsafe conditions.
The ship reportedly issued a mayday and lost power before the collision. The bridge collapse has caused traffic disruptions and declared a state of emergency. The bridge, built in 1977, is a crucial transportation route in Baltimore.
It’s been reported, in reviewing images of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, some structural engineers have noted that its piers, which are essential to the structure’s integrity, appeared to lack protective barriers.
The disaster has invoked memories of simslar incidents closer to home, like Hobart’s Tasman Bridge disaster as well as our own Westgate Bridge Collapse.