Baltimore bridge collapses after being hit by ship in US

A major bridge has collapsed in the US city of Baltimore after it was hit by a cargo ship.

Footage shows a large section of the 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge falling into the Patapsco River, following the collision at around 6:30am (Malta time).

Up to 20 people were reported to be in the water, according to Baltimore's fire service.

Chief Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore City Fire Department, said earlier that they were searching for at least seven people.

He said the main focus right now was "trying to rescue and recover these people".

He said it was too early to know how many people were affected, but described the collapse as a "developing mass casualty event".

Mr Cartwright said it appears there were "some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge," creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency service workers were operating cautiously as a result.

"This is a dire emergency," he added.

The container ship, known as the Dali, was headed to Colombo in Sri Lanka at the time of the collision.

Synergy Marine Group, the company that owns the container ship, said all crew members, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there were no reports of injuries.

The company said the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined.