A major bridge in Baltimore in the US state of Maryland has snapped and collapsed after a container ship collided with it early on Tuesday, sending a number of vehicles into the water, Ednews reports via The Guardian.

The Baltimore fire department said it was searching for at least seven people believed to be in the water, after reports that a 948ft Singapore-flagged container ship had crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. It added that up to 20 people and several vehicles have fallen into the river and declared it a “mass casualty event”.

A video posted on X appeared to show the vessel striking one of the bridge’s central supports, causing much of the 2.6km bridge to give way as a number of vehicles fell into the Patapsco River below.

The ship appeared to catch fire as part of the bridge appeared to collapse over it, sending plumes of thick, black smoke into the air.

Two people have been rescued, with one of them “severely” injured and in critical condition, officials said in a pre-dawn press conference.

The temperature in the river was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.