A civil engineering expert from the West Midlands says it was inevitable a major bridge in the US would collapse after it was struck by a container ship.
Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people.
"The main piers rest on soil underwater and they are part of the foundations of the bridge. This type of bridge is not designed to redistribute loads in the event of a main pier collapsing, there is a progressive collapse of the bridge. If the vessel had hit a small section of the suspended deck the bridge may have been able to survive the collision but not a main pier.
Sonar has indicated that there are vehicles in the water, where the temperature was about 47F in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said he was working to get federal resources deployed.Agencies reported receiving emergency calls around 1.30am reporting a vessel travelling outbound from Baltimore that had struck a column on the bridge, causing it to collapse.The temperature in the river was around 47F in the early hours of Tuesday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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