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The Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was responding to the scene on Tuesday, Mar. 26, the military branch said in a news release. Coast Guard investigators and pollution responders were also on their way to what emergency officials have called a "mass casualty event."
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Maryland - National Capital Region command center received a report of the collapse at 1:27 a.m. A 948-foot cargo ship from Singapore crashed into the large bridge over the Patapsco River.
Several vehicles on the Interstate 695 bridge fell into the water. The Washington Post reports two construction workers were rescued as of 10:20 a.m.
At least six of the workers were still missing. One rescued worker was hospitalized and the other declined treatment at the scene.
Maryland's transportation secretary Paul Wiedefeld told CNN that the workers were on the bridge doing concrete deck repair when it collapsed. A facility had been set up for their family members, he said.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott declared a state of emergency at approximately 9:30 a.m. Search and rescue boat crews from Coast Guard stations in Curtis Bay and Annapolis, Maryland also deployed to the collapse scene.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said the collapse of the bridge that opened in 1977 was "devastating".
"Thank you to the selfless first responders and those who came from all over Maryland, working tirelessly though the night and providing invaluable aid during this horrific tragedy," Olszewski said in his statement.
The Coast Guard also issued an "urgent marine information broadcast," which established a 2,000-yard safety zone and urged boats to avoid the area.
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