Human Interest Dramatic Photos from the Baltimore Bridge Collapse and Desperate Rescue Efforts After the Francis Key Scott Bridge was struck by a ship on Tuesday morning, rescuers mobilized to rescue victims trapped on the scene By Kate Hogan Kate Hogan Kate Hogan is Director of Digital Specials and Features at PEOPLE, as well as the editor of Stories to Make You Smile. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2008. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 26, 2024 12:24PM EDT Close Baltimore bridge collapse photos. Photo: JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock On Tuesday, residents of Baltimore woke up to the alarming news that the city's Francis Scott Key Bridge had collapsed after it was hit by a large cargo ship. The container ship Dali hit the bridge — which spans the Patapsco River via Interstate 695 — around 1:30 a.m., sending several cars into the water. Eight construction workers were also tending to the bridge when it was hit; as of noon ET, rescuers are still searching for six of them. Here, dramatic photos from the scene as the rescue efforts continue in the frigid water. Stay tuned to PEOPLE's liveblog for more updates. 01 of 15 The Early Hours Baltimore bridge collapse photos. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty The 948-ft. container ship collided with the 1.6-mile bridge after issuing a "mayday" call after the freighter lost power, according to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who gave a press conference Tuesday morning. “We had officials that were able to begin to stop the flow of traffic so that more cars were not on the bridge,” Moore told reporters. “Many of the vehicles were stopped before they got on the bridge, which saved lives.” “These people are heroes," the governor added. 02 of 15 Terrifying Moments Baltimore bridge collapse photos. Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty A dramatic video obtained by PEOPLE showed the moment the ship collided with the bridge, sending it section by section into the river. Lights on both the bridge and ship went out immediately, and a plume of smoke rose from the ship as well. 03 of 15 A Desperate Search Baltimore bridge collapse photos. JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock At Tuesday morning's press conference, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld told reporters that eight workers were repairing potholes on the bridge when the collapse occurred. 04 of 15 No Evidence of Terrorism Baltimore bridge collapse photos. JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock According to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, “We are still investigating what happened but we are quickly gathering details. We haven’t seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack.” 05 of 15 Continued Efforts Baltimore bridge collapse photos. JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock As daylight came, rescuers had a clearer picture of the scene. 06 of 15 Difficult Conditions Baltimore bridge collapse photos. JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock "This happened at 01:30 a.m. with limited visibility so we are working aggressively, considering the environmental temperatures as well as the water temperatures to try and rescue and perhaps recover individuals," Kevin Cartwright, director of communications of the Baltimore City Fire Department, told CNN. 07 of 15 Much Ground to Cover Baltimore bridge collapse photos. SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock "We are still very much in an active search and rescue posture at this point and we will continue to be for some time," Baltimore Fire Department Chief James Wallace shared in a press conference. "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." 08 of 15 Early Start Baltimore bridge collapse photos. JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The time of the collision made initial rescue efforts particularly hard given the darkness. 09 of 15 The Key Bridge Baltimore bridge collapse photos. Kena Betancur/Getty The Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977, and is 8,636-ft. long, making it a vital piece of Baltimore's transportation system. 10 of 15 Focus Is to 'Save Souls' Baltimore bridge collapse photos. Karl Merton Ferron/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty “There were individuals on this bridge when the tragedy happened. We have our fire teams, our marine teams, our police and marine teams out there,” Gov. Moore said in Tuesday's press conference. “Now with the sunlight coming up, we can actually put drivers in the water to try to save souls. And that’s where the focus is and will remain for us for quite some time." 11 of 15 The Wreckage Baltimore bridge collapse photos. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Pieces of steel remained wrapped around the ship following the collision. 12 of 15 The Aftermath Baltimore bridge collapse photos. Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty In a video of the collapse, the bridge fell into the water segment by segment. 13 of 15 From Afar Baltimore bridge collapse photos. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty A helicopter circled the wreckage as the sun rose. 14 of 15 'Very Rapid' Baltimore bridge collapse photos. Rob Carr/Getty Gov. Moore said the ship was moving at "a very, very rapid speed" at the time of the crash. 15 of 15 'Never Imagined' Baltimore bridge collapse photos. Christine Condon/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty From the neighborhood of Dundalk, residents watched the scene. A Baltimore resident named Jim, who lives about a mile away from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, told Sky News he awoke around 1:30 a.m. local time to the bridge's collapse, calling it an "indescribable sound." "At first I thought it was a sonic boom from the aircraft," he said. "I never imagined something like this could happen." Stay tuned to PEOPLE's live blog for more updates.