Watch: Aerials of Baltimore bridge collapse after ship collision

Watch aerial views of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, after it collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday morning (26 March).

A container ship crashed into the structure at around 01:30am ET, causing a section of the 1.6-mile, four-lane bridge to tumble into the Patapsco River.

Footage of the incident was captured by a live webcam.

The search for six missing men, all construction workers who fell into the Patapsco River, has been called off.

Coast Guard rear admiral Shannon Gilreath said there was no hope of finding the missing men alive due to the frigid water and the length of time elapsed since the accident.

Two people were rescued from the water in the hours after the incident, with one in critical condition and the other rejecting medical attention.

Officials said eight men were originally unaccounted for.

The cargo-carrying vessel, called the Dali, crashed into a pillar of the bridge approximately 30 minutes after setting sail on its 27-day journey to Sri Lanka.