Maryland governor vows to deploy all resources as search continues for six missing people after Baltimore bridge collapse – as it happened

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Baltimore said that the Key Bridge collapse is not a result of terrorism, according to a statement on social media.

The FBI’s Baltimore division said there is “no specific and credible information to suggest any ties to terrorism at this time”, in a post made to X.

The office added that an investigation is still ongoing.

Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said the Key Bridge collision does not appear to be an intentional act, in a social media post.

In an update to X, Mayorkas said: “There are no indications this was an intentional act and we are assessing the impacts to the Port of Baltimore.”

Mayorkas added that the US Coast Guard and other agencies are in Baltimore assisting with search and rescue efforts.

Baltimore’s mayor, Brandon M Scott, is still at the site of the Key Bridge collapse, according to a a new statement posted to social media.

Scott via X/Twitter:

We remain on site managing the Key Bridge Collapse incident, especially the ongoing search & rescue effort.

This is a multi-jurisdiction, multi-agency effort with federal, state, and local resources mobilizing.

We will continue to make updates throughout the day.

The cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge also crashed in a separate case in 2016.

The Dali cargo ship was involved in a collision at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium. It was headed to Bremerhaven.

Maersk, the company that chartered the container ship, released a statement on Tuesday following the Baltimore accident:

We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected.

We are closely following the investigations conducted by authorities and Synergy, and we will do our utmost to keep our customers informed.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is restricting aircraft from flying over the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse due to ongoing rescue efforts.

From the FAA via X:

Drone pilots: The FAA has flight restrictions in place around the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Do not interfere with rescue operations. If you fly, emergency response operations cannot.

Good morning. It is 8.27am in Baltimore, Maryland, where a portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after it was struck by a container ship early on Tuesday morning.

Here’s the latest so far:

• At least seven people were in need of rescue in the Patapsco River, a reporter on the scene said, citing the Baltimore fire department. Two people have been rescued so far as first responders work on searching for others who may have fallen into the river.

• The vessel which collided with the bridge was chartered by Maersk, the company said. Maersk said that the vessel was operated by Synergy Group and was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, Reuters reported.

• Maryland’s governor, Wes Moore, said in a statement that he has declared a state of emergency. “We are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden administration,” he said.

• Multiple vehicles fell into the water due to the bridge collapse, according to video. The Maryland transportation authority has closed all lanes in both directions of the I-695 Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Stay tuned for further updates.

An unclassified Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency report said the container ship Dali “lost propulsion” as it was leaving port and warned Maryland officials of a possible collision, ABC reported.

“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel and an allision [a ship collision] with the bridge was possible,” the report said.

Maryland’s governor, Wes Moore, is at the site of the incident in Baltimore.

Officials both in Baltimore and Washington have underscored that they do not believe the incident is terrorism-related.

“There is no indication of any nefarious intent,” the White House said.

Here are the latest images from Baltimore.

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