At around 1:30 a.m. on March 26, John, a local resident in Baltimore, Maryland, suddenly heard a terrifying sound `like loud thunder.`
`Then there was a tremor that made his house shake, seemingly collapsing. Just like an earthquake,` John recounted.
That was the sound of impact when the Dali container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key steel bridge across the Patapsco River, causing the bridge spans to collapse one after another, dragging at least 20 people and many vehicles into the water.
`I’ve been in this neighborhood for 57 years, since the authorities started building the bridge. Can’t believe the bridge has disappeared, can’t believe there were people on the bridge when it collapsed. It’s crazy,` Mr. John
Police, fire, and the US Coast Guard were immediately at the scene to search and rescue.
Cargo ship crashed into a bridge in the US
The moment the freight train crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore city, Maryland, USA early on the morning of March 26.
The Dali train departs from Baltimore, Maryland to Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The loud noise from the crash woke up many people living nearby.
Nancy, another witness, said the stretch of river where the Francis Scott Key bridge is now `a battlefield`.
Marylanders were shocked when they read the news the next morning. Many did not believe that the disaster had happened.
When a friend called early in the morning to report that the Key Bridge had collapsed, Michael Brown thought he was joking.
`I never thought this would happen. It’s really unbelievable,` said Jim Fischer, one of the engineers who built the Francis Scott Key bridge in the 1970s.
Another person said he had just crossed the bridge less than 10 hours earlier.
Scene of the container ship collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, USA.
Maryland state transportation officials have blocked ships in the Port of Baltimore until further notice.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge will see more than 12.4 million vehicles pass through in 2023, equivalent to 34,000 vehicles per day.
Millions of tons of goods worth billions of dollars also pass through ports along the Patapsco River.
Before regional transportation resumes, officials will need to remove the remainder of the bridge from the water and clear the riverbed.
`When dawn came and saw that the decades-old bridge was no longer there, many people were heartbroken,` Lupe Lucas said as he and his son looked out at the river this morning.
Baltimore residents witnessed the scene of a bridge collapse along the river.
