Major bridge in Baltimore collapses after being struck by ship, 6 people unaccounted for

Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a container ship hit it early Tuesday.

Six people who may have fallen into the water after the crash are missing, according to Paul Wiedefeld, Maryland's transportation secretary. Two people were rescued, with one transported to a trauma center in serious condition.

The bridge carries Interstate 695 across the Patapsco River, southeast of the Baltimore metropolitan area.

The crash by the large container ship occurred around 1:30 a.m. ET,  when contractors were working on the bridge, according to Wiedefeld. The missing people are believed to be the construction crew who were repairing potholes on the bridge.

Wiedefeld said the incident is an active search and rescue mission and that vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore is suspended until further notice.

"This is a very large incident, it involves a very large footprint," Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James W. Wallace said in a press briefing.

The fire department chief said sonar scans had detected the presence of submerged vehicles, but could not disclose the number of cars involved.

"The latest information we have on the crew of the ship is that they still are on board of the ship," Wallace said, adding that rescue agents must first do a damage assessment of the vessel before being able to board. Asked if the ship was suffering any technical impairments, he said, "We do not have that information."

Maryland officials and the FBI said there is no information to suggest the collapse was a result of terrorism.

"The preliminary investigation points to an accident," said Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. "We haven't seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack."

Completed in 1977, the bridge took the name of Francis Scott Key, whose poem was the foundation of the U.S. national anthem.

"USCG confirms the ship is the 948-ft DALI vessel. USCG has deployed three response boats, and pollution responders are en route from the Sector Maryland-National Capital Region," the U.S. Coast Guard's Matthew West told NBC News.

Shipping data indicates that the Singapore-flagged container vessel is under the management of Synergy Marine Group, which said in a statement that all 22 crew members on board, including two pilots, had been accounted for.

"Whilst the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the 'DALI' has now mobilised its Qualified Individual Incident response service," the group said. "The US Coast Guard and local officials have been notified, and the owners and managers are fully cooperating with Federal and State government agencies under an approved plan."

Marine traffic data suggests the ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Maersk later confirmed chartering the vessel.

"We can confirm that the container vessel 'DALI', operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group, is time chartered by Maersk and is carrying Maersk customers' cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were onboard the vessel," the company said.

"We are closely following the investigations conducted by authorities and Synergy, and we will do our utmost to keep our customers informed."

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement it "will provide full cooperation to the US Coast Guard in its investigations."

"I have declared a State of Emergency here in Maryland and we are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration," Moore said.

"We will remain in close contact with federal, state, and local entities that are carrying out rescue efforts as we continue to assess and respond to this tragedy."

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that the Francis Scott Key Bridge carries Interstate 695 and crosses the Patapsco River.