Baltimore bridge collapses into river after being hit by cargo ship

1. The moment the key bridge collapsed in Baltimore

   This image show the moment "a large vessel" struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland at 01:30 ET (05:30 GMT) this morning, Baltimore fire department says.

   

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2. What we know so far about the Baltimore bridge collapse

   At around 01:30am local time (05:30 GMT), a 911 caller reported an incident in the Francis Scott Key Bridge area.

   Chief Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore City Fire Department confirmed to us that the bridge had been struck by "a large vessel" causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River.

   He also told us that "as many as seven individuals and several vehicles" have fallen into the river.

   There is now an ongoing multi-agency rescue operation being led by the fire department, collaborating with the US Coastguard and other Maryland agencies.

3. Baltimore bridge collapses with rescue operation under way

   

   Emily McGarvey

   Live editor

   Welcome to our live coverage. A key bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, has collapsed into a river after being struck by a container ship, rescue services say.

   A Baltimore City Fire Department spokesman says the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River after being hit by a vessel in the early hours of this morning.

   There is now a multi-agency rescue operation on the scene.

   It is not currently clear if there have been any casualties. We will bring you the latest updates shortly.