The massive container ship that smashed into a high-traffic bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, this morning had previously collided with infrastructure while docking, according to reports.
Container ship DALI collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning, collapsing a portion of the bridge and resulting in what authorities suspect is a mass casualty event.
According to previous reports, this is not the first time DALI has struck city infrastructure while transporting goods — a similar but far less serious incident was reported in 2016, according to contemporaneous reports.
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DALI collided with a stone wall at a dock in Antwerp, Belgium, in the afternoon of July 11, 2016, according to a Maritime News report.
The container ship suffered damage and was docked for repairs, but no one was injured in the collision, according to The New York Times.
The Tuesday incident was far more deadly, according to officials coordinating disaster response.
Emergency crews including the U.S. Coast Guard, local first responders and the FBI were searching for people believed to be in the water, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department said. Officials have described this as a mass casualty event.
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Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said at least two people were pulled from the water following the collapse, with one of them in serious condition.
Wallace said authorities "may be looking for upwards of seven people" but he said that number could change.
The vessel that struck the bridge was a Singapore-flagged cargo ship. The large vessel then caught fire before becoming disabled.
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Footage of the incident shows the lights going out multiple times on the vessel in question prior to impact, suggesting the collision may have been due to a power failure.
The Maryland Transportation Authority said on social media that all lanes are closed in both directions and that traffic is being detoured. Later, it urged drivers to avoid the I-695 southeast corridor and to instead use I-95 or I-895.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. confirmed emergency personnel were responding, and rescue efforts were underway.
Fox Business's Landon Mion, Anders Hagstrom, and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
