Harrowing audio reveals authorities scrambled to stop vehicles crossing the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore moments before it collapsed.
Six construction workers who were on the bridge as it tumbled into the water are presumed dead, and a search for them has been suspended.
The incident happened after a cargo ship crashed into the structure in the early hours of Tuesday morning (26 March).
It had made a mayday call moments before the collision.
“We’ve got to stop all traffic,” an official is heard saying in dramatic audio released by the Maryland Transportation Authority, as the incident unfolds.