ATLANTIC CITY – Watch standers from the U.S. Coast Guard station in Atlantic City have responded to the devastating bridge collapse in Baltimore that has halted marine commerce indefinitely and possibly claimed the lives of motorists passing over the bridge when it collapsed. More than 35,000 motorists use the bridge for their daily commutes. Six people are reported missing in the frigid water.Coast Guard watchstanders received a report into the Coast Guard Sector Maryland – National Capital Region command center at 1:27 a.m. reporting a 948-foot Singapore-flagged containership collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, immediately bringing down into the Chesapeake. There were reports of persons in the water.
The Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and Coast Guard investigators and pollution responders also responded to the incident. Response boat crews from Coast Guard Stations Curtis Bay and Annapolis have crews deployed to the incident for active search and rescue.
An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast is issued regarding the incident and there has been a 2000-yard safety zone issued for the surrounding waters. Mariners are urged to avoid the area.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott has issued an Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency in Baltimore City in response to the bridge collapse The Executive Order mobilizes the City of Baltimore’s Emergency Operations Plan to deploy emergency resources to protect the persons affected by the incident and expands the resources available to tackle the emergency situation.
This State of Emergency was put in effect starting 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 26 and will remain in place for 30 days, subject to renewal or cancellation as conditions warrant.
