let's return to our breaking news. a bridge in the city of baltimore has entirely collapsed after being hit by a container ship. it hit a column of the francis scott key bridge. the baltimore city fire department is currently at the scene, they've spoken to the bbc, saying people, and several vehicles, have fallen into the water. officers say the incident happened at about 1:30am local time. there is now a large multi—agency rescue and recovery operation under way. the baltimore mayor brandon scott says he is aware of the incident, and is in contact with local authorities. the latest we have just had from the coastguard is that they receive the report at 1:27am and that the 948 foot containership dali hit the francis scott key bridge and it subsequently collapsed as we know and the coastguard says it has

multiple response units deployed for active search and rescue as there are reports of vehicles in the water, as we had. coastguard units on the scene include small boats from the station in annapolis and curtis bay and helicopterfrom curtis bay and helicopter from air station at atlantic city. there are also multiple state and local agencies on the scene according to the coastguard. they say also it is unknown at this time if there are any casualties. what we have also heard from them, from the baltimore fire department, they have confirmed as many as 20 individuals may be in the water along with what they say are numerous vehicles and possibly a tractor—trailer. you can see from the pictures there that the road is blocked off, that a major interstate road has been cut off when this bridge collapsed and traffic is being diverted. we are continuing to monitor these scenes which is a developing story is the rescue operation is still under way.

simonjones is simon jones is monitoring simonjones is monitoring the story. the big urgency is trying to find the people in the water, isn't it? yes, and particularly as at this time of year the temperature of the water will be around 10 degrees. when someone goes into water they will inevitably share an initial cold shock. then the danger is that people panic and that can add to the body shutting down in a situation like this. so really, time is of the essence for the emergency services. we are told that it is feared around 20 people may be in the water. that figure has been rising during the past few hours. initially we were told potentially it was seven people and a number of vehicles. now we are told around 20, although the emergency services are making it clear that situation could change pretty quickly. i think what is difficult is knowing just how many

people they are actually looking for at the moment. you can see from the pictures in baltimore it is still dark so they are dealing with a situation where they're having to coordinate this rescue operation with limited light despite the number of emergency services personnel there. also what will be adding to the complication is this bridge that has come down is a huge structure. it is about three kilometres long. and if you imagine all that infrastructure coming down in one go and ending up in the water, this is going to be very unsafe area for the coastguard teams to have to search. they also have to take into account their own safety in a rescue operation like this. so time is of the essence but a very tricky situation they're having to deal with and that's why the fire service who are leading this operation along with the coastguard, are talking about this being a mass casualty event. figs are talking about this being a mass casualty event-—

are talking about this being a mass casualty event. as you say baltimore fire department _ casualty event. as you say baltimore fire department saying _ casualty event. as you say baltimore fire department saying as _ casualty event. as you say baltimore fire department saying as many - casualty event. as you say baltimore fire department saying as many as l casualty event. as you say baltimore | fire department saying as many as 20 individuals may be in the water, as i mentioned earlier, along with numerous vehicles and possibly a tractor—trailer. was it the case there were workers on the bridge and there were workers on the bridge and there was a maintenance being carried out when this happened? what was your impression of what was happening when the incident happened? it’s happening when the incident happened?— happening when the incident hauened? h , , , happened? it's interesting because when we hear _ happened? it's interesting because when we hear from _ happened? it's interesting because when we hear from the _ happened? it's interesting because when we hear from the fire - happened? it's interesting because when we hear from the fire service they are talking about potentially 20 workers being in the water. so it is possible that there was some sort of overnight maintenance on the bridge. we haven't yet got clarity on that from the authorities but they are talking about workers. ultimately potentially around 20 people are feared to be in the water. we know that this is a hugely busy bridge and a hugely important part of the infrastructure so they're obviously a number of vehicles on that bridge at about 1:30am in the morning when the bridge came down. those extra ordinary pictures. and the bridge

completely disappearing. we are told that around 11.5 million vehicles use this bridge each year. it gives you a sense of how busy it is. but also really busy in terms of shipping. baltimore port is the largest in the us for specialised cargo. data from marine traffic is currently showing a lot of congestion in the area around the bridge because that will be a very unsafe area at the moment. it is estimated that about 800,000 vehicles passed through the port in 2023 moving around 1.3 million tonnes of imported cargo. it gives you a sense just how busy notjust the bridge is but shipping underneath that bridge. we understand that around 1:30am in the morning there was actually a container ship heading to sri lanka, a singapore flagged ship called the dali. we are told from the owners of the ship that the crew on board the

containership have been accounted for. there will be an investigation launched into how it was able to strike part of this bridge and why the bridge came down so quickly. inevitably, bridges like this will be built to withstand a degree of collision. this was a huge containership. it was 300 metres long. so one expert we were talking to, a structural engineer, was saying actually there is only so much of an impact bridge like this can have. there will be an investigation, questions asked about how this happened and the structure of the bridge but at the moment the focus very much on that search operation which is very much ongoing as we speak. operation which is very much ongoing as we speak-— as we speak. simon jones, thank you very much- — as we speak. simon jones, thank you very much- as _ as we speak. simon jones, thank you very much. as simon _ as we speak. simon jones, thank you very much. as simon was _ as we speak. simon jones, thank you very much. as simon was saying - as we speak. simon jones, thank you very much. as simon was saying it i as we speak. simon jones, thank you very much. as simon was saying it is| very much. as simon was saying it is a very long cargo vessel, the dali, and the owners of the singapore flagged ship said it had collided with the pillar of the bridge around 1:30am and all crew members

including the two pilots on board have been accounted for. let's speak to our business reporter katie silver. this is a very large cargo vessel, isn't it? and it was heading for sri lanka, we understand.— isn't it? and it was heading for sri lanka, we understand. that's right. as simon mentioned _ lanka, we understand. that's right. as simon mentioned the _ lanka, we understand. that's right. as simon mentioned the shipping i as simon mentioned the shipping company is located here in singapore, the synergy marine group, down to 15 minute—drive that way, it is a singapore flagged containership the dali as you mentioned hitting that francis scott key bridge in baltimore. we have a statement from the company, we have reached out as well to try and see if they will come in the programme and to give us more information. what we understand so far is that while the exact cause, this is what the company said in a statement, while the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the dali has mobilised its qualified individual response service. as you mentioned, all crew members including the two pilots are accounted for, no reports of injuries on the ship but also hearing that they are cooperating with authorities. according to

vessel finder.com the ship was built in 2015, it is nine years old, 300 metres long, so as you say, a very long vessel and making thatjourney from baltimore to colombo in sri lanka. iii from baltimore to colombo in sri lanka. �* , ., ., from baltimore to colombo in sri lanka. �*, ., ., ., lanka. if there's an idea of the scale of the — lanka. if there's an idea of the scale of the impact _ lanka. if there's an idea of the scale of the impact on - lanka. if there's an idea of the l scale of the impact on shipping. lanka. if there's an idea of the - scale of the impact on shipping. as simon mentioned there is quite a big cargo port in baltimore. —— give us an idea. it cargo port in baltimore. -- give us an idea. , ., , cargo port in baltimore. -- give us an idea. , . , , an idea. it is and it is hugely important — an idea. it is and it is hugely important and _ an idea. it is and it is hugely important and it _ an idea. it is and it is hugely important and it comes - an idea. it is and it is hugely important and it comes at i an idea. it is and it is hugely important and it comes at a | important and it comes at a difficult time for shipping. we have all of the issues going on in the red sea, the diversions around africa. shipping is a hugely important part of the industry here in singapore, a huge part of the economy. we have many companies around the world who have the shipping headquarters here in singapore. so it is sort of unsurprising that they are based here. from a cursory glance it does seem much of their operations have begunin seem much of their operations have begun in india, most of the high—level top executives are indian but we are still waiting to find out more from the company and hoping to hear back from them soon.—

hear back from them soon. katie, at the moment — hear back from them soon. katie, at the moment it _ hear back from them soon. katie, at the moment it is _ hear back from them soon. katie, at the moment it is at _ hear back from them soon. katie, at the moment it is at the _ hear back from them soon. katie, at the moment it is at the stage - hear back from them soon. katie, at the moment it is at the stage of- the moment it is at the stage of investigations. any clues from the company at all as to whether they have any idea why something like this might have happened? we have reall not this might have happened? we have really got no — this might have happened? we have really got no idea _ this might have happened? we have really got no idea at _ this might have happened? we have really got no idea at this _ this might have happened? we have really got no idea at this time. - this might have happened? we have really got no idea at this time. as i really got no idea at this time. as i say, waiting to hear back. huge pressure, you can imagine, from many thousands of tonne pressure, such a big vehicle hitting that bridge. but we are waiting to hear back more exactly what could have caused it. it is very unusual and as mentioned it could be quite catastrophic, more than 20 people in the water. many thousands of tonnes, as i say, and we hear there is lots of diesel fuel that has been spilled in the water. thank you very much indeed, katie silver. thank you. we continue to monitor this story where a dramatic collapse of that bridge in baltimore, the francis scott key, thatisit baltimore, the francis scott key, that is it happening on the right of the screen, the moment the containership hit one of the pillars of the bridge and the bridge started to collapse, it all sort of concertinaed into the water. it was

described initially as a partial collapse but it does seem to entirely collapse after being hit by the containership. the baltimore city fire department is currently at the scene and they are saying that as many as 20 individuals may be in the water along with a number of vehicles including a tractor—trailer and the rescue operation to find those people in the water is under way with helicopters and boats as well. just to remind you you can always watch and continue to follow the story live on the bbc news website and app, with the latest information constantly updated by a team ofjournalists around the world. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

let's bring you a quick story from here in the uk. four million electricity and gas meters that are supposed to be

sending readings automatically to energy suppliers — so—called smart mode — are not doing that, government figures released today show. there's been a significant increase of nearly a million since june last year. let's speak to pamela hatswell — who's an energy consultant with shrinkourbills.co.uk. thank you for being with us. why is it so many smart meters are not working properly?— it so many smart meters are not working properly? since this time last eara working properly? since this time last year a huge _ working properly? since this time last year a huge number- working properly? since this time last year a huge number of- working properly? since this time - last year a huge number of customers have changed suppliers and sometimes when this happens there is a little bit of a glitch. the metres are working but not communicating back to your supplier. i have got some tips for you to identify whether you are in this situation. if you suspect your readings are not being received by your supplier, please take a look at your bill where it shows you your units of usage and if there is e, rather than saying smart

meter reading or by the customer or ljy meter reading or by the customer or by the metre reader you have a problem it is an estimated bill. sometimes it is not both and often it's the gas meter not talking to the electricity meter which is the way the order in which things go, and then the signal is relayed back to your supplier. that and then the signal is relayed back to your supplier-— and then the signal is relayed back to your supplier. at the moment, our --eole to your supplier. at the moment, our people finding _ to your supplier. at the moment, our people finding that _ to your supplier. at the moment, our people finding that their _ to your supplier. at the moment, our people finding that their bills - to your supplier. at the moment, our people finding that their bills are - people finding that their bills are suddenly not what they expected? what is your experience of this? they are getting estimated bills and so they could be lagging behind, they could be in debt, or they could be paying too much. particularly because 31st of march is coming up, that's the end of the month and the end of the three month higher prices, i would encourage everybody to put a metre reading in. and it is good for them because the prices will be dropping on the 1st of april. so they can have an accurate

bill and then they can see if they owe money or they are owed money and they are paying too much. what owe money or they are owed money and they are paying too much.— they are paying too much. what would ou sa are they are paying too much. what would you say are the _ they are paying too much. what would you say are the pros _ they are paying too much. what would you say are the pros and _ they are paying too much. what would you say are the pros and cons - they are paying too much. what would you say are the pros and cons of - they are paying too much. what would you say are the pros and cons of the l you say are the pros and cons of the smart meters? the energy companies are always keen to get people to move on to them. other times when it is not a good idea to have one of these? ., . , is not a good idea to have one of these? ., ., , ., ., these? unfortunately we are moving down that channel _ these? unfortunately we are moving down that channel whether - these? unfortunately we are moving down that channel whether we - these? unfortunately we are moving down that channel whether we like l these? unfortunately we are movingj down that channel whether we like it or not. there are some benefits. quite clearly you have an accurate bill. the household is given a little monitor so they are more aware of their usage, and hopefully they can see appliances that are perhaps out of date, perhaps using too much energy, and they can move too much energy, and they can move to using less as a household. the problem we do have is something called rts, which is radio telly switch will stop we have been given a little extension but byjune of next year this is a signal by which a large number of devices can switch and typically is the economy seven users where they get cheap rates at

night for their electricity usage. this is going to stop injune of next year and the only alternative unfortunately is to go for the smart meter. they are getting better, the newer ones do function better. it's just difficult for the customer to go through the process of persuading their energy provider that there is an issue. ., ., their energy provider that there is an issue. . ., ., , their energy provider that there is an issue. . . ., , ., ~ their energy provider that there is an issue. ., ., ., , ., ~ , ., an issue. pamela hatswell, thank you ve much an issue. pamela hatswell, thank you very much indeed _ an issue. pamela hatswell, thank you very much indeed for— an issue. pamela hatswell, thank you very much indeed for talking - an issue. pamela hatswell, thank you very much indeed for talking to - an issue. pamela hatswell, thank you very much indeed for talking to us. i very much indeed for talking to us. —— radio teleswitch. let's return to our breaking news. a bridge in the city of baltimore has entirely collapsed after being hit by a container ship. the baltimore city fire department is currently at the scene — they've spoken to the bbc, saying people, and several vehicles, have fallen into the water. officers say the incident happened at about 1:30 local time. there is now a large multi—agency rescue and recovery operation under way. the baltimore mayor brandon scott says he is aware of the incident, and is in contact with local authorities.

here's a witness briefly describing the scene. if you wanted to know what the bang was, ship hit the key bridge, sinking, the bridge has gone. hair; sinking, the bridge has gone. holy hell. let's get more with our correpsondent sean dilley — who's in the newsroom. sean, brings the latest on this. the very latest is very much as you have outlined because the search and rescue team are on the scene attempting to rescue what they say is at least 20 people who are in the water. just give you a bit of colour of this scene, the water, officials say, is under 10 celsius, as we would describe it in the uk, 40 fahrenheit. that is very cold, there is also is a risk of hypothermia and the risk of plummeting from a bridge into the water is of course very hazardous. what do we know? we know the baltimore city police department

had been advised that 1:35am of what the control centre described as at the control centre described as at the time the partial collapse. the bbc is following this and we understand it has collapsed fully now. the francis scott key bridge is the bridge that has collapsed. that is over the patapsco river. i've been over it many times myself. 0fficials come as i said in a really concerned about the temperature of that water is a ship is collided with it. the bbc understands that ship is known as the dali, it was on its way to sri lanka. every member of the crew has been accounted for. they are uninjured. it was 300 metres long, it was on its way to sri lanka, we understand, at the time, that it had collapsed. an awful lot of this information comes from an organisation known as the maryland transportation authority, they advised drivers to plan their routes very carefully. we have had confirmation from the ship

monitoring website marine traffic that the dali were sitting under the bridge for some time this morning but that's no surprise there. we understand it is a singapore flagship. what i would say is, on this touch—screen that is constantly updating, we are getting all reports in from the fire and rescue on the scene and those divers are going to be prioritise in getting those bodies of people to rescue those people out of the water as quickly as they can and hopefully with very successful results. the as they can and hopefully with very successful results.— successful results. the latest from the fire department— successful results. the latest from the fire department was _ successful results. the latest from the fire department was that i successful results. the latest from the fire department was that at i the fire department was that at about —— about 20 workers and three civilian cars are believed to have fallen into the river and at the moment also on as well as the darkness and the general confusion and bits of bridge in the way, the divers also have to work through a large diesel spill, apparently, so it is quite a tricky rescue operation. it is quite a tricky rescue operation-— it is quite a tricky rescue oeration. , ., �*, operation. yes, that's right. the dieselwater— operation. yes, that's right. the diesel water is _ operation. yes, that's right. the diesel water is particularly i diesel water is particularly hazardous to the individuals rescuing people who have fallen into

the water. but later down the line of course, there would be the wider pollution risk. at the moment the priority is clearly the preservation of life and limb. so they are working through those diesel fumes. they are using very specialist personal protective equipment to do that to get those people. let's give you a sense of scale here. this is a really, really large port, there was an estimated 800,000 vehicles passing through that port in 2023. so last year it is believed there was a record 1.3 million tonnes of cargo that was imported. the geography for anybody who is not aware, obviously we are talking east coast, so anybody who has travelled between new york and washington, dc may have been over that bridge many times with its beautiful sites. but the water out there is absolutely vast, as is the task for rescue workers. it

vast, as is the task for rescue workers-— vast, as is the task for rescue workers. , ,, ~ ., workers. it sounds like you know the area uuite workers. it sounds like you know the area quite well. _ workers. it sounds like you know the area quite well. baltimore _ workers. it sounds like you know the area quite well. baltimore port, i workers. it sounds like you know the area quite well. baltimore port, for. area quite well. baltimore port, for people who don't know it, tell us a bit about that and how big a shipping port it is. we bit about that and how big a shipping port it is.— bit about that and how big a shipping port it is. we will recap the figures _ shipping port it is. we will recap the figures and _ shipping port it is. we will recap the figures and i _ shipping port it is. we will recap the figures and i will _ shipping port it is. we will recap the figures and i will tell- shipping port it is. we will recap the figures and i will tell you i shipping port it is. we will recap the figures and i will tell you a l the figures and i will tell you a bit about the cargo that was imported. you are talking 800,000 vehicles believed to have passed through the port because what it is largely known for is tractors and trailers coming into the united states. so much farmland, for anybody who has ever travelled across the us, whether people have done route 66 or otherwise, we'll know the vast amount of land and a lot of those tractors and trailers would have come through that port. 1.3 million tonnes is a huge amount to import into the area. again, there are going to be logistical considerations in terms of imports as well. but for the moment the authorities are focused on one thing, that's rescuing the people who have fallen in the river. sean dille , who have fallen in the river. sean dilley. for —

who have fallen in the river. sean dilley. for the _ who have fallen in the river. sean dilley, for the time _ who have fallen in the river. sean dilley, for the time being, - who have fallen in the river. sean dilley, for the time being, thank you. stay with us on bbc news, we will continue to monitor this mass casualty event in baltimore. let's continue with the breaking news from baltimore. a bridge in the city has entirely collapsed after being hit by a container ship. the baltimore city fire department is currently at the scene, they've spoken to the bbc, saying at least 20 workers could be in the water. ian firth is a structural engineer and bridge designer. he's also a former president of the institute of structural engineers. he spoke to my colleague catherine byaruhanga about why he thinks the bridge collapsed. when a bridge is struck by a very large vessel like that it is not surprising that it has some problems. a heavy ship like that will impart a very large load of many thousands of tonnes when it hit something solid and the ship has uppishly struck the support of the bridge. not surprisingly then the bridge. not surprisingly then the bridge collapses because the support is a relatively flimsy structure.

when you look at it is a kind of trestle structure so the bridge has collapsed as a result of this large impact force. the vessel should have been going of course down the middle of the channel. but for whatever reason it must have strayed off and has hit the support. the channel is about 350 metres wide and there was about 350 metres wide and there was a height clearance of over 50 metres. so there is plenty of room for the ship there. but for whatever reason it has hit the support. bud reason it has hit the support. and the thoughts _ reason it has hit the support. and the thoughts for _ reason it has hit the support. and the thoughts for a lot of viewers with the emergency operation that is now ongoing, how easy is it to move around these pieces, large pieces of metal that i imagine have now fallen into the water there?— into the water there? absolutely. very difficult _ into the water there? absolutely. very difficult is _ into the water there? absolutely. very difficult is the _ into the water there? absolutely. very difficult is the answer i into the water there? absolutely. very difficult is the answer to i very difficult is the answer to that. clearly it is tragic. they will have been people who have been caught up in this. i can't comment on the specifics of course but getting in amongst the material,

particularly submerged material. across to our correspondent tom bateman who is on the way to the scene. tell us about the impact this is having a local traffic. we scene. tell us about the impact this is having a local traffic.— is having a local traffic. we are on route about _ is having a local traffic. we are on route about 30 _ is having a local traffic. we are on route about 30 minutes - is having a local traffic. we are on route about 30 minutes away i is having a local traffic. we are on. route about 30 minutes away from baltimore at the moment. i mean, it is closed, the road, as you would imagine mother heads towards that bridge. the sense we are getting is that there is a big build—up of traffic as things head into the rush hour here. it is nearly 6am local time. it was an extremely well used bridge. it's part of the beltway, four lane bridge in baltimore. that is a very busy area because it is a significant container port. baltimore handling a huge amount of cargo every day. so that's going to have a very big impact in its own right. the latest sense we are getting from the authorities in

baltimore is that divers are now in the water. you've been reporting that local fire chief has been saying they believe up to 20 workers may have fallen from the bridge. so a big rescue operation going on there now. a big rescue operation going on there now-— a big rescue operation going on there now. �* ~ ., ., there now. and we know the local senator of — there now. and we know the local senator of merrell _ there now. and we know the local senator of merrell and _ there now. and we know the local senator of merrell and has - there now. and we know the local senator of merrell and has called | senator of merrell and has called the collapse horrific and said he is praying for those on the bridge when it fell into the water. it is really quite a big story there and it will soon be light, will it?— soon be light, will it? yes, it is still dark at _ soon be light, will it? yes, it is still dark at the _ soon be light, will it? yes, it is still dark at the moment. i soon be light, will it? yes, it is- still dark at the moment. obviously still dark at the moment. 0bviously once there is daylight on the scene we will get a far greater sense of the extent of the damage. 0bviously the extent of the damage. obviously there are two things. the bridge itself and the rescue operation and the hopeful survivors to be found in the hopeful survivors to be found in the water, as i mentioned. and then the water, as i mentioned. and then the ship itself. some of the pictures that have emerged so far

are showing debris from the bridge on the cargo ship. so there is some concern about the ship itself and the potential for what the damage has done to the ship. we know this is a singapore flagged vessel. the marine tracking websites appear to show it having been in dock, and it then effectively turned around the water, made a very shortjourney before it struck the bridge. they will be considered about the damage and what i could mean. we will be considered about the damage and what i could mean.— and what i could mean. we have 'ust had a report— and what i could mean. we have 'ust had a report coming i and what i could mean. we have 'ust had a report coming in i and what i could mean. we have 'ust had a report coming in saying i and what i could mean. we havejust had a report coming in saying that i had a report coming in saying that law enforcement are on the scene and saying the fbi and the adf are also on the scene assisting local authorities in the investigation. how unusual is it to have those organisations or agencies involved as well in something like this? —— atf. we appear to have lost tom bateman. apologies for that. lines keep coming into us now. we're hearing

that the container vessel was scheduled to sail on the shipping company mirsky�*s route to sri lanka, according to the danish company's website. maersk is one of the larger shipping companies around the world. that ship was sailing for the company maersk are en route to sri lanka. we are getting reports also in the last few minutes that the fbi and the atf are on the scene assisting authorities in the investigation. we know that at least 20 people might be in the water at the moment and there is a major operation to try and find those people, as you're watching that the live pictures of the bridge collapsing on the right—hand side of your screen. collapsing on the right—hand side of yourscreen. it collapsing on the right—hand side of your screen. it was struck by the cargo ship early on tuesday. it is interesting, the bridge is named after the american lawyer who wrote the lyrics for the national anthem.

so that is one element to why that is an unusual name for that bridge. let's remind you that you can watch more of this on the bbc news website and on ourapp, more of this on the bbc news website and on our app, information is being updated throughout the morning. let's take you to the weather with carol kirkwood now. hello again. in the next couple of days, take your brolly with you, we expect some heavy downpours, some of which will be thundery with hail mixed in there and it's often going to be windy. something quieter comes our way on good friday and saturday. but this afternoon what we are looking at is a fair bit of cloud around. we have this line of rain here. it is really reinvigorating through the afternoon, bringing heavy downpours in across parts of south—east england, the midlands, wales and eventually some of that getting into northern ireland. a lot of cloud ahead of it. the scattered showers easing across the highlands through the course of the afternoon. some of those wintry on the hills. through the evening and overnight this band of rain continues pushing northwards, getting into northern

england, northern ireland, scotland, again depositing more snow on the hills. then we have this line of showers in northern ireland, wales and south—west england extending into the channel islands. clear skies, cold, —3 or —4 where we have some snow. tomorrow, then, this line of showers pushes from the west towards the east and heads northwards. still some wintry showers on the hills across the far north of scotland where it will be windy. windy too across the south of england especially through the english channel, temperatures 6—12 degrees. 0vernight wednesday into thursday, low pressure still very much driving our weather and we have various weather fronts wrapped around it. so, on thursday what we are looking at, basically bands of rain pushing northwards and eastwards. some of those wintry on the hills. some of them heavy and thundery with some drier interludes. windy across the north—east, gales possible through the english channel.

temperatures, 8 in the north, 11 or 12 celsius at best. to 11 or 12 celsius at best. then as we move into good friday, not as many showers around. there will be more dry weather, a bit more sunshine. there will still be some showers and again on the hills they are likely to be wintry in nature. a breezy day but light winds. temperatures 8—13 degrees north to south. that leads us into the easter weekend. fewer showers around on saturday. on sunday, at the moment it looks like we could see some rain later in the day coming into southern england, pushing northwards overnight, getting into scotland on easter monday.

live from london, this is bbc news. i'm lauren taylor. our top story this hour is the breaking news from the united states. the governor of maryland has declared a state of emergency after the collapse of a bridge in baltimore following its being hit by a container ship. baltimore following its being hit by a containership. it baltimore following its being hit by a container ship. it has been described as a mass casualty event. this is the moment it happens, you can see the ship hitting a column of the francis scott key bridge on the left of screen. the bridge quickly collapses. the baltimore city fire department is at the scene, its head says as many as 20 workers are believed to have fallen into the river. it happened about 1:30am local time. there is now a large multi—agency rescue and recovery operation in place. the baltimore mayor brandon scott says he is in contact with local authorities. this is where it happened.