Early on Tuesday morning, a large container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing a portion of the bridge to collapse. As a result, multiple vehicles plunged into the water below.

Posts on social media showed the ship hitting one of the pillars seconds before the bridge collapsed on top of the ship.

According to the New York Times, the ship that caused the damage was the 9962-TEU ship Dali as it was leaving Baltimore Port.

An analysis of the circulated video indicates the vessel ran into a mechanical issue before hitting the bridge, reports Lloyd's List.

"Lights on the vessel can be seen going dark, coming on, then going out again just before the vessel hit the bridge's support column," adds the article.

Dali, currently on a time charter with Maersk, operates along the route connecting the US East Coast to the Middle East and Asia.

According to AIS data, the ship departed from the Port Breeze container terminal at approximately 00:45 hours local time and was involved in the collision around 01:30 hours.

"We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected," Maersk said in a statement to Shipping Watch.

Maryland Transportation Authority posted on social media that all lanes were closed in both directions due to the incident.

Authorities are currently searching for a minimum of 20 individuals who remain unaccounted for following the incident.