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A large vessel crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge about 1.30am (4.30pm AEDT), catching on fire before sinking, according to a video posted on X.
Emergency responders were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, Baltimore Fire Department communications director Kevin Cartwright told the Associated Press about 3am (6pm AEDT).
He said agencies received 911 calls reporting a vessel traveling outbound from Baltimore that had struck a column on the bridge, causing it to collapse.
Multiple vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer.
“Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” Cartwright said.
He said it was too early to know how many people were affected but called it a “developing mass casualty event”.
Cartwright said it appeared there are “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge”, creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency responders are operating cautiously as a result.
“This is a dire emergency,” he said.
The Maryland Transportation Authority said all lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge and traffic is being detoured.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M Scott has posted on X that he is “aware of and en route to the incident at the Key Bridge”.
“Emergency personnel are on scene, and efforts are underway,” Scott said.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977.
The 2.57 kilometre, four-lane bridge extends over the Patapsco River and serves as the outermost crossing of Baltimore’s harbour and an essential link of Interstate-695, or the Baltimore Beltway.
Its namesake, Francis Scott Key, is believed to have sat near the site of the bridge as he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814, inspiring him to write the words of The Star-Spangled Banner – the US national anthem.
