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Topics: Baltimore bridge , US News
Joe Harker
Footage has resurfaced online showing the 'scary' Baltimore bridge before this morning's tragic turn of events.
The Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being struck by a container ship this morning (26 March), with authorities declaring it to be a 'mass casualty event'.
Initial statements from rescue efforts said that 'seven individuals and several vehicles' could have gone into the water.
The bridge was struck by container ship Dali at around 1:30am local time and collapsed in a matter of seconds, which would have left next to no time for anyone who was on the bridge at the time to make an escape.
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Now, footage from the bridge before it collapsed has resurfaced on social media, showing what the experience of crossing it would have been like.
The Francis Scott Key bridge was described as 'scary' by the woman filming, with the footage showing what driving 56 metres above the water would be like for a car.
For anyone and anything on the bridge at the moment it was struck by the container ship it would have been a long way down into the water.
According to the BBC, the Baltimore City Fire Communications chief said that as many as 20 workers had fallen into the Patapsco River after the bridge collapsed.
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They said that as more details about the tragedy emerged the situation was likely to change.
They also report that shipping company Synergy Marine Group had confirmed with the container ship Dali that all members of the crew were accounted for without injuries.
The Dali had left port in Baltimore at around 12:45am local time today (26 March) and had been bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka before colliding with the bridge around 45 minutes into the journey.
Further updates from authorities have declared the incident a 'mass casualty event' as Baltimore City Fire Department has since said that as many as 20 workers might have fallen into the water due to the bridge collapsing.
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Construction on the Francis Scott Key bridge began in 1972 and the first journeys were made across it in 1977.
It was named after the author of the US national anthem and provided a way for countless travellers to cross the Patapsco River.
Footage of the bridge when the container ship Dali collided with it shows it being destroyed and collapsing within seconds.
Further updates from the catastrophe are to be expected as rescue efforts continue to assess the scale of the damage done and search for possible survivors who might have been on the bridge at the time it collapsed.