Desperate search for survivors from Baltimore Key Bridge collapse as two victims pulled from freezing water

As well as the cold temperatures, search teams are also grappling with darkness and a large debris field to try and search for people who would have now been in the water for an extended period of time.

A state of emergency has been declared by Maryland Governor Wes Moore who said he is working with an interagency team to deploy federal resources.

Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the fire department, said the city was dealing with a “developing mass casualty incident”.

A large portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is now under water, as flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed the Maryland State Police circling the site of the crash in a helicopter.

Mr Cartwright added that a multi-agency rescue is currently under way, with dive team members actively going into the river to try and locate individuals that are feared to be in the water.

The US Coast Guard said it has deployed small boats and helicopters to assist in the search for the people feared within the water.

Yet freezing conditions are “posing a concern” as the rescue personnel continue to carry out their search.

“It feels like at least about 30 degrees (-1°C) where I am,” Mr Cartwright told CNN. “It could be slightly lower than that. And I’m sure that the water temperature is even colder… And that can pose a concern and risk for our divers.”

The container ship involved is a Singapore-flagged vessel named Dali, live maritime data showed on Tuesday. It had just departed the port in Baltimore and was headed for the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, where it was due to arrive in late April.

All crew members, including two pilots, on the container ship are accounted for and uninjured, the owners have confirmed in a statement.