Hearts are with the people of Baltimore.
In the early hours of March 26, Maryland's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by a 948-foot cargo ship, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed to NBC News.
As Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld said in a press conference, "This caused a catastrophic collapse of the bridge."
At the time of the collapse, there were people on the bridge, with authorities ultimately removing two from the water. While one was not injured, according to Chief of the Baltimore City Fire Department James Wallace, a second "has been transported to a local trauma center that is in very serious condition."
Authorities are still looking for six individuals, Wiedefeld said at a later press conference.
There had been a construction crew on the bridge at the time of the incident, he continued. However, Wiedefeld noted they were working on potholes, not structural issues. And while Governor of Maryland Wes Moore said authorities are still investigating exactly what happened, he pointed out that "the bridge was fully up to code." He also said "the preliminary investigation points to an accident" and that they "haven't seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack."
Before the crash, Moore continued, the ship had notified authorities of a power issue and had been traveling at eight knots (approximately nine miles per hour). And as he spoke about the incident, he addressed those who have been impacted by it.
"Maryland, we will get through this because that is the Maryland spirit and that's what Maryland is made of," Moore said. "We are Maryland tough, and we are Baltimore strong. So in the face of heartbreak, we come together, we embrace one another and we come back stronger. That's what we've always done, that's what we'll continue to do and that's what we're going to get done together. And we're going to pray for Baltimore."
Earlier in the day, Wallace explained that local, state and federal resources are involved in the search and rescue operation and that they're using air and maritime assets, including sonar and infrared technology.
"We are still very much in an active search and rescue posture at this point," he said during the press conference, as seen in a video shared by Sky News. "And we will continue to be for some time. We have a large area that we have to search. This includes on the surface of the water, subsurface, as well as on the deck of the ship itself."
Shortly after the incident, Mayor Brandon Scott spoke out and asked the public to keep both the people affected and the first responders in their thoughts.
"Everyone, this is a unthinkable a tragedy," he said during a press conference. "We have to first and foremost pray for all of those who are impacted, those families, pray for our first responders and thank them—all of them working together, city, state, local, to make sure that we are working through this tragedy."
This story is developing.
(This story was first published March 26 at 9:03 a.m. EST).