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A container ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore, causing the span to buckle into the river below.
The collapse plunged a construction crew and several vehicles into the dangerously cold waters. Rescuers pulled out two people, but six others were missing.
The ship’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Ben Schafer, professor in civil engineering at Johns Hopkins University, said a ship that size would have had a lot of energy behind it, making it difficult for the bridge to hold up.
"it certainly would not have been designed for a direct strike of that magnitude," he said.
The Maryland governor said the mayday enabled authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span. The ship struck one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to collapse like a toy. It tumbled into the water in a matter of seconds.