Video Screengrab / Axios
CV NEWS FEED // After a cargo vessel crashed into a support structure of a major bridge in the Baltimore harbor, causing the bridge to collapse, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore released a statement offering prayers for both victims and survivors of the tragedy.
“I am saddened, as you are, to learn of the tragic incident overnight that led to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Baltimore harbor,” said Archbishop Lori in a March 26 statement published by the Archdiocese:
Pray with me for all involved, especially the victims traveling over the span at the time of impact, the construction crews on site and all of the first responders acting with urgency to rescue survivors.
Let us join in prayer asking the Lord to grant consolation and strength as we cope with this terrible tragedy.
According to local reports on March 26 Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after “a large cargo vessel apparently hit one of the supports of the bridge around 1:30 a.m., causing it to snap and buckle.” Opened in 1977, the bridge is approximately 1.6 miles long.
“Several vehicles plunged into the Patapsco River after the impact caused the roadway above to break apart. The vessel caught fire after hitting the support. Black smoke billowed out of it and into the sky above,” the FOX 5 local station reported.
According to Associated Press News, Maryland Governor Wes Moore said that “the cargo ship reported losing power just before it crashed and caused the bridge to collapse.”
Also according to FOX 5, well into Tuesday morning, “sonar indicated that several vehicles are in the water, where the temperature was about 47 degrees.”
Baltimore Fire Department Director of Communications Kevin Cartwright described the event as a “developing mass casualty event” and told AP News that “our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”
