The US Coast Guard has suspended rescue efforts and six people are now presumed dead after a container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Eight people were believed to be on the bridge at the time of the collision. Two were rescued, with one person taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The ship issued a mayday call just two minutes before the crash, warning authorities they had lost power and control and that a crash was imminent.
The ship had a power blackout for more than a minute before colliding with a pylon at high speed at about 1.30am local time. Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the call gave authorities just enough time to stop traffic from driving across.
“By being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge, these people are heroes,” he said.
“They saved lives last night.”
The eight people on the bridge at the time were members of a roadwork crew who were “basically repairing potholes”, local transport department secretary Paul Wiedefeld said.
Initially, authorities believed up to 20 vehicles had plunged into the river, saying sonar had detected three passenger vehicles, a cement truck and another vehicle in the water.
Divers were sent down, but Wiedefeld later said they did not believe there were any people trapped in the submerged vehicles.
All of the 22 crew members on the ship have also been accounted for, and there have been no reports of injuries. Authorities also said there was no pollution leaking into the river.
The 2.5km bridge is a major crossing point for the city, with more than 30,000 trips across every day. The collapse is likely to have severe consequences to supply chains, with the Port of Baltimore being one of the largest shipping hubs in the US.
US President Joe Biden said the federal government would fund the full cost of repairing the bridge, pending support in congress.
“We’re going to spend all the federal resources they need as we respond to this emergency,” he said.
“And we’re going to rebuild that port together.”
The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct an investigation into the cause of the accident, while the Army Corps of Engineers will work to clear the channel to allow shipping to resume.
