AURN News with Ebony McMorris

Baltimore Under State of Emergency After Major Bridge Collapse

Ebony McMorris
March 26, 2024

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Approximately 1:30 a.m., a cargo ship leaving the port of Baltimore struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge. This caused a catastrophic collapse of the bridge. First responders from the Maryland Transportation Authority, the Toll Authority. At this time, this is an active search and rescue mission. We know there were individuals on the bridge at the time of the collapse working on the bridge. Contractors for us.”

That was Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld this morning talking about the horrific collapse of the Key Bridge in Maryland. Right now, we don’t know how many workers were on the bridge at the time of the crash, but they’re looking for at least seven people who went missing.

From left, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bill DelBagno, FBI special agent in charge of the Baltimore field office, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Paul J. Wiedefeld, Maryland’s transportation secretary, hold a news conference near the scene where a container ship collided with a support on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

Some have been rescued from the water after the ship hit a pillar supporting part of the bridge. We also know that there were several cars and trucks on the bridge at the time of the collapse.

A container ship as it rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, as seen from Dundalk, Md. The ship rammed into the major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to collapse in a matter of seconds and creating a terrifying scene as several vehicles plunged into the chilly river below. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Governor Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency. He also spoke earlier this morning.

“The preliminary investigation points to an accident. We haven’t seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack.”

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.