Sonar detects cars at bottom of river where Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore after ship crash
At least seven construction workers and an unknown number of vehicles were plunged into the river.
Cars have been detected at the bottom of Patapsco River in Baltimore where a 1.6-mile bridge collapsed in pieces after a cargo ship ploughed into it.
Footage shows the vessel smashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, overnight.
Battling the darkness, firefighters are having to use sonar technology to detect the unknown number of vehicles that fell in the water after the crash.
Meanwhile, two people were rescued as part of the search and rescue operation, but at least seven others remain in the river.
One patient refused medical assistance, while the other was very seriously injured and is currently being treated in hospital.
Earlier, it was reported that up to 20 people are believed to be missing after the crash.
Chief of Baltimore’s fire department James Wallace says the first unit arrived on scene at 1.50am and reported the ‘complete collapse’ of the Key Bridge.
‘Multiple people’ were reported to be on the bridge at the time of the collapse.
Mr Wallace added: ‘Information is subject to change as we get more intel.’
A state of emergency has been declared across Maryland, while the White House scrambles to deploy emergency teams to assist.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore county executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said that services were at the scene and rescue efforts were underway.
They were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the freezing water.
The main span of the steel arch-shaped construction spans the Patapsco River and the outer Baltimore Harbor.
MarineTraffic, a maritime data platform, showed that the Singapore-flagged Dali was stopped directly under the bridge.
The vessel left Baltimore at 1am and was at the beginning of a 27-day voyage to a port in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Smoke can be seen rising from the ship in the moments before colliding with one of the pillars of the bridge.
This suggests a mechanical failure on board the Dali, but the cause is yet to be determined.
The lights were also seen turning off and then on multiple times before the crash.
Manager Synergy Marine Group said in a statement that all crew members have been accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.
Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, said the alarm was sounded at about 1.30am.
He said: ‘Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.’
Cartwright said it is too early to know how many people were affected but called the collapse a ‘developing mass casualty event.’
He added it appears there are ‘some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge,’ creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency responders are operating cautiously as a result.
‘This is a dire emergency,’ he said.
Metro.co.uk could not immediately confirm how many people were trapped in the water after the collapse.
Authorities are investigating apparent power failures on Dali cargo ship before it struck Key Bridge.
David McFarlane, director of Maritime Risk and Safety Consultants Ltd, told Sky News that the ‘most likely’ cause of the crash was a failure in the ship’s machinery.
US transport secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted that he has offered support to Baltimore’s mayor and Maryland’s governor.
He added: ‘Rescue efforts remain underway and drivers in the Baltimore area should follow local responder guidance on detours and response.’
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