In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, crumbled following a collision between a cargo ship and one of its support columns.
The bridge, a significant route for commuters, carries the Baltimore Beltway I-695 over the Patapsco River at the southern tip of Baltimore Harbor.
It serves as the primary route for transporting hazardous materials in the state, as these materials are prohibited from passing through the underwater tunnels in Baltimore.
Local authorities are currently redirecting vehicles carrying hazardous materials through the western part of Baltimore.
Recent updates indicate that up to 1.8 million gallons of fuel and other hazardous materials might have leaked into the water. Search-and-rescue operations for the six bridge workers who fell into the water have been halted, with authorities now presuming them deceased.
As reported by ABC News:
Federal officials are monitoring about 1.8 million gallons of fuel inside the container ship Dali for its “spill potential,” according to an unclassified memo from the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. But a U.S. official familiar with the matter told CNN “lots would have to go wrong” for that amount of fuel to spill.
The Department of Homeland