(Bloomberg) -- A commuter bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being rammed by a container ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water.
The Maryland Transportation Authority issued an alert on X telling drivers not to use Interstate 695. The BBC reported that several people and vehicles had gone into the water.
The disaster is likely to cause chaos, both for shipping at one of the busiest ports on the US East Coast and on the roads, now that a key link has been severed on the major highway encircling Baltimore.
The vessel is the Dali. The 32,000-ton ship was built in 2015, according to a database maintained for the International Maritime Organization. Calls to its registered owner in Singapore went unanswered.
The bridge allows commercial ships to enter the Port of Baltimore, one of the top ports in the US in terms of volume and value of cargoes. It is the largest US port for handling cars and light trucks.
At least 21 ships are in waters to the west of the collapsed bridge. About half of them are tugs. There are also at least three bulk carriers, one vehicles carrier and a small tanker.
An extended shutdown is going to cause major congestion for travelers just ahead of the Easter holiday weekend on the already clogged corridor between New York and Washington, DC.
The Baltimore port handled 847,158 autos and light trucks in 2023, the most of any US port for the thirteenth straight year, according to a state of Maryland website. The port also handled large volumes of imported sugar, gypsum and coffee, as well as exported coal.
(Updates with information about the bridge's importance from sixth paragraph.)
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