Structural engineer 'surprised' cargo ship was able to take down Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge

 Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge closed suddenly early Tuesday after a cargo ship collided with one of its pillars, causing the structure to break into pieces and fall into the water below.

As rescue workers struggle to find many of the missing and as details remain unclear, experts are considering what could possibly have caused the disaster. A structural engineer – John Pistorino – says he is "amazed" that the ship was able to collapse the structure.

"At this point, I'm surprised that a container ship like this, that big, would be able to take it down, even if it was veered off course," he said on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday.

"Back in Tampa, we now have some means underwater, so if the ship goes off course, it will take it away from critical parts of the bridge. There are underwater structures that the ship will already cross. .Literally got on the bridge itself," he continued, referencing the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which saw a similar disaster in the Tampa Bay area decades ago.

Continuing on that note, Pistorino underlined the need for "redundancy" in bridge construction.

Redundancy, according to the American Institute of Steel Construction, is "the quality of a bridge that enables it to perform its design function in a damaged condition" and is considered a "desired characteristic of good design."

The Baltimore bridge collapsed into the harbor after being struck by a ship, causing a massive disaster.

Pistorino said quality is something that has been lacking in faulty bridges in the past.

“If we lose a significant part of one column, the structure itself tries to redistribute the load and then move on to another column, which is clearly overloaded…this is the nature of structures,” he explained. .

Placeholder "It may be a money thing, but I think, really, the design of redundancy will be something that should always be considered."

Maryland officials, particularly those in the Baltimore area, held several press conferences to update the public in the hours following the incident, which occurred early Tuesday.

The collision was reported in Antwerp before the boxship hit the bridge in Baltimore.

Governor Wes Moore, D-MD, revealed in a press conference that the collapsed cargo ship had issued a "mayday" call that enabled local officials to limit traffic on the bridge before the collision occurred.

It is estimated that at least six people are still missing, and search and rescue efforts are ongoing.

However, the cold temperatures, including the cold water, led to fears that people immersed in the water would become subject to hypothermia over time.