Atlantic City Coast Guard Helps At Key Bridge Collapse In Baltimore

BALTIMORE, MD — The U.S. Coast Guard is mobilizing Tuesday morning, including sending crews from New Jersey, to assist in Baltimore after a ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge overnight, causing it to collapse.

A Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew is en route to the site, Coast Guard officials said, along with Coast Guard investigators and pollution responders. At least six people are missing, officials said.

See here for full Patch coverage of the bridge collapse.

The Maryland Transportation Authority, which operated the bridge, confirmed the collision and the collapse at 3:20 a.m. The superstructure of the bridge was more than 100 feet above the water, and a portion of it is now resting on the front of the ship.

The ship’s crew had notified authorities they had lost power before striking the support. Officials on the ground raced to stop cars from going over the bridge once the mayday call was made, which saved lives, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.

State officials said there were workers on the road repairing concrete at the time of the collapse.

“This is a dire emergency,” Baltimore Fire Department spokesperson Kevin Cartwright told The AP. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”

Related: Video: See Moment Key Bridge Collapsed Into Baltimore Harbor

Coast Guard watchstanders received a report into the Coast Guard Sector Maryland - National Capital Region command center at 1:27 a.m. reporting a 948-foot Singapore-flagged containership collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Additionally, it was reported that the bridge collapsed and there were reports of persons in the water.

Response boat crews from Coast Guard Stations Curtis Bay and Annapolis have crews deployed to the incident for active search and rescue.

This article contains additional reporting by Patch's Jacob Baumgart. For the latest news on the Key Bridge collapse, click here.