Dramatic video shows moment Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed

The container ship Dali struck the bridge early Tuesday morning.

March 26, 2024, 2:47 PM

A video shows the moment Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River in the U.S. Port of Baltimore after it was struck by a cargo ship early Tuesday.

The footage shows the ship as it approached the bridge, before the ship collided with one of the bridge's supporting columns.

Shortly after the collision, the bridge collapses into the river, partially atop the ship.

PHOTO: The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after the bridge collapsed collapsed in Baltimore, March 26, 2024.
The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after the bridge collapsed collapsed in Baltimore, March 26, 2024.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The Singapore-flagged container vessel Dali struck the bridge at around 1:30 a.m. local time. The partial collapse sent construction workers and vehicles into the water, according to officials.

State officials confirmed Tuesday that traffic was stopped just before the bridge collapsed. The I-695 bridge goes over the Patapsco River.

PHOTO:  A map of the area near the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore on March 26, 2024.
A map of the area near the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore on March 26, 2024.
AP

There were workers on the bridge at the time of the collision, and fire officials said earlier Tuesday that rescuers were looking for several people who were sent into the water.

Coast Guard officials said at a press conference that at least six people remain unaccounted for in the collapse. Two construction workers on the bridge survived the collapse – one worker ran from the bridge, and one fell into the water and swam to shore, officials said.

The container ship "lost propulsion" as it was leaving the Baltimore Harbor, officials said. The waterway into and out of the Port of Baltimore is closed and there is no other route into the port, the second busiest in the mid-Atlantic, according to an unclassified CISA report.