Video shows moment Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses in Baltimore after ship crashed into it

This is the harrowing moment a 1.6-mile bridge in the US collapsed in pieces after a cargo ship ploughed into it.

Footage shows the vessel smashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, overnight.

It is reported that at least seven construction workers and an unknown number of vehicles were on the bridge when it collapsed into the water.

Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore county executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said that emergency services were at the scene and rescue efforts were underway.

The moment the cargo ship collides with the metal construction (Picture: KLW World News)

Just seconds later. most of the bridge had collapsed (Picture: KLW World News)

Opened in 1977, the spans the Patapsco River and the outer Baltimore Harbor (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

They were searching for at least seven people believed to be in the freezing water.

The main span of the steel arch-shaped construction spans the Patapsco River and the outer Baltimore Harbor.

MarineTraffic, a maritime data platform, showed that the Singapore-flagged Dali was stopped directly under the bridge.

The vessel left Baltimore at 1am and was bound for a port in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Smoke can be seen rising from the ship in the moments after the collision with the bridge, but the cause has not yet be determined.

A view of the bridge after it collapsed (Picture: Reuters)

Emergency personnel at the scene shortly after an alarm was raised at about 1.30am (Picture: Reuters)

Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, said the alarm was sounded at about 1.30am.

He said: ‘Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.’

Cartwright said it is too early to know how many people were affected but called the collapse a ‘developing mass casualty event.’

He added it appears there are ‘some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge,’ creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency responders are operating cautiously as a result.

‘This is a dire emergency,’ he said.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.