Mass Casualty as Cargo Ship Knocks Down Bridge in US City, Baltimore (Video)

Several lives and goods worth millions of dollars perished today when the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed around 1:40 a.m. Eastern time after being hit by a cargo ship, with large parts of the bridge falling into the Patapsco River.

The Baltimore Fire Department has labeled the incident a “mass casualty event.” Rescuers were searching for several people, and vehicles were detected in the water.

Baltimore is a major city in Maryland with a long history as an important seaport. Fort McHenry, birthplace of the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” sits at the mouth of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.