[Music] this is a CBS News special report I'm T deople in New York and we are coming on your air at this early hour with breaking news a catastrophic bridge collapse in Baltimore and the Maryland governor has just declared a state of emergency let's go to the pictures because they are dramatic indeed this is the Francis Scott Key bridge stitching together two major counties in Maryland and that is a cargo ship colliding with a pillar this is 1:30 a.m. local time that cargo ship the dolly hit the
Francis Scott Key bridge and sent the principal section the main stretch of this bridge into the water rescue boats are now on the scene and we are hearing from the Baltimore fire department that up to 20 people may be in the water they are calling it a quote developing MH mass casualty event the good news at this hour is the Coast Guard says they do not have confirmed cas ities at this time a search is underway the francisc Kei Bridge as I mentioned connection connects two major counties in th
e Baltimore area it is more than a mile and a half long it's been open for nearly 50 years one of the longer bridges in this country and a major artery for shipping and for passengers for vehicles tens of thousands a day cross this bridge let's take a live look at the rescue efforts the sun has yet to come up there in Bal bore but you can see the ship there the shadow of it anyway and the stricken Bridge collapsed around it that is where the bridge once stood behind it you have Baltimore Harbor
the cranes that load those giant cargo ships all but this one have been going under that bridge without incident for many decades we have Team coverage of this story we're going to begin with Nicole scanga she is near the scene in Baltimore forest in dundock Maryland Nicole good morning what do you see what do you know where you are Tony good morning authorities calling this a mass casualty event a multi- agency rescue and Recovery currently underway and as you mentioned a state of emergency dec
lared by Maryland governor West Mo right here in this harrowing scene the Baltimore fire chief saying as many as 20 people were plunged into the water here into the harbor when an outbound cargo ship the dolly collided with a support beam of the Francis Scott Key bridge and multiple Vehicles including a tractor trailer also dropping into the water at this time creating just a chaotic scene for First Responders and law enforcement here on the ground you mentioned the US Coast Guard deploying thei
r Maritime teams but we also know that dive teams have been deployed that state and local police are on the ground we've been seeing the cars pass by you can see some police over my right shoulder here stopping traffic we also know FBI and ATF are on the scene and they are working to rescue any and all survivors Now cloaked by darkness and in frigid temperatures of mid-40s of course hypothermia a concern here as well we expect a briefing to occur around 700 a.m. local 7 a.m. eastern time we know
that the governor and the Baltimore mayor are both in route uh that the transportation secretary has been briefed here on the situation on the ground the priority of course saving lives pulling people out of the waters here but we should note this is a major thoroughfare uh that has now been uh put in a in a frozen State here Tony
Comments
Can't help but feel grateful it was 1:30 am, when most people are in their beds, can't... don't want to imagine what it could have been 7 or 8 hours later.
Awful ! Imagine the death toll if it was rush hour .
Isn't it everyone's nightmare when on a bridge having it collapse. Ever think how deep will my car go and could I get out. Poor people.
Thank God it wasn't heavy traffic! 🙏 for the people that was on the bridge at the time of collapse.
That bridge fell apart like popsicle sticks and silly string were holding it up. Prayers for those involved.
Imagine the people trapped in the car, it's hard to open the car when submerged in water. This was sudden and unexpected.
It’s blocking the Baltimore Harbor! A major harbor. This is going to get so much worse.
This is towards the top of my phobia list. This video doesn't help... my heart hurts for those families of the people who were on that bridge.
Praying for all involved... This is absolutely horrible...
It went down as if made of toothpicks !
Such a horrible way to die 😢
My condolences to all the families🤯💔🙏🏽
Seems the ship approached the bridge on course when it left the dock but shortly before going under the bridge it steered to the right and hit the support. Seems weird as there should have been a pilot guiding the ship out, the ship had been there before and the bridge did have plenty of lights on it. Wonder if technical issue. The ship weighted over 95,000 toms plus it's cargo of approx 10,000 containers, so it would have been near impossible to stop it in time or correct the corse error..
Prayers out to whoever was on the bridge 🙏
So sad and scary that one ship could take the whole bridge down.
God save the poor souls on the bridge.
Who was driving the boat? Where’s his picture?
Oh please help everone involved, JFC, this is terrifying.
My prayers are with those missing this is major that bridge was a life line for so many I also want to thank from the uk the brave emergency services on the ground
How does an entire bridge collapse over a ship hitting one of the support columns?? You’d think with all of the engineers required to build something like this, they would anticipate something like a ship hitting it. Doesn’t make sense.