tonight at 10pm... the search for six people missing, after a container ship hit this bridge on the east coast of america, sending it crashing into the water. this was the moment it happened. the whole bridge just fell down. the whole bridgejust the whole bridge just fell down. the whole bridge just collapsed. the ship had suddenly lost power and veered off course. we'll show you how it all unfolded. also tonight... the baptism of the clapham chemical attacker — abdul ezedi granted asylum after a judge accepted he was a christian convert, despite concerns he was lying. on a knife edge now in extra time — can wales beat poland for a place in the euros? and why north korea censored alan titchmarsh�*s trousers. on bbc london...

search and rescue efforts continuing after the dali container ship careered into baltimore's spectacular road bridge — collapsing much of it into the water like ninepins. we will be hearing from baltimore from sea captains and structural engineers. that's newsnight — 10.30. good evening. a search operation is continuing for at least six people thrown into a river in the us city of baltimore — after this huge container ship collided with a bridge, sending it crashing into the water. maintenance workers were working on the bridge when it happened in the early hours of the morning. two people were pulled from the freezing waters. rescuers are now using sonar to search the wreakage for the missing. in the minutes before the crash, its thought the container ship lost power. in a moment rebecca morelle will take a step

by step look at what happened. but first we have correspondents on both sides of the bridge in baltimore. gary o'donoghue is on the east side — sumi somaskander is on the west side. sumi — what progress are the rescuers making? the search and rescue will continue through the night. they're using sonar to precisely locate where those missing workers might be and we have learned that fbi divers have joined those rescue and recovery boats and that they are using robotic cameras to also try and locate where those missing workers might be. a law enforcement source who told us that was not able to say whether there was one or more divers in the water at this moment, because of the jacket debris. massive chunks of the jacket debris. massive chunks of metal from this of the jacket debris. massive chunks of metalfrom this bridge go right into the river, really, getting efforts, and that corresponds with what we heard from the senator we

spoke to half an hour ago, who said one of the problems with the mission at the moment is because they really have to maintain a super search, because getting deeper into the water isn't possible because of the debris. they are going to continue searching several factors working against them at this hour, the wreckage from the bridge and also the weather. it's very cold and as the weather. it's very cold and as the evening moves on it will only get colder and the what conditions will get choppy, working, making this effort more difficult. the imaaes this effort more difficult. the images are — this effort more difficult. the images are extraordinary and people are surprised how fast the bridge collapsed. i'v e i've been here since before daybreak and we were talking to people by the water, walking their dogs, people who live very close to the river and they were in total shock at what had happened. this is a massive landmark in their lives, something they use on a daily basis, and it simply

disappeared overnight. some heard the crash and said they felt their houses shake as the bridge went down. the bridge was named after francis scott key, the author who inspired the words of the star—spangled banner, and one woman said, it was a symbol of america. this is how the events of the day unfolded. itsjust this is how the events of the day unfolded. its just before 1:30am and the 985 foot dali containership is heading for the open soup there is ship approaching _ heading for the open soup there is ship approaching that's _ heading for the open soup there is ship approaching that'sjust - ship approaching that's just steering so we have to stop all traffic. , ., , .,, ,., traffic. the bridge has lost power and is veering — traffic. the bridge has lost power and is veering into _ traffic. the bridge has lost power and is veering into the _ traffic. the bridge has lost power and is veering into the pylon. - traffic. the bridge has lost power| and is veering into the pylon. the whole and is veering into the pylon. tue: whole bridge and is veering into the pylon. tte: whole bridge just and is veering into the pylon. tt2 whole bridge just fell down. the whole bridgejust fell down. the whole bridgejust fell down. the whole bridgejust fell down. the

whole bridge just collapsed. whole bridge 'ust collapsed. eight members whole bridgejust collapsed. eight members of a _ whole bridge just collapsed. eight members of a construction team working on the bridge filling potholes were thrown into the ice cold water. two were rescued, one of them critically ill in hospital. incredibly, the crew on the ship, realising something was wrong, issued a mayday avoiding the bridge, allowing the authorities on lad to prevent more vehicles from going onto the bridge, unquestionably saving lives. throughout the night and day, boats, helicopters and divers have been scouring the water for survivors. the authorities vowing to continue the search for as long as it takes. this vowing to continue the search for as long as it takes.— long as it takes. this is very much still a search _ long as it takes. this is very much still a search and _ long as it takes. this is very much still a search and rescue _ still a search and rescue mission. we are actively looking for survivors. we know, and that's a pledge we made to these families, and this is still very much an active search and rescue mission. local residents were woken in their beds by the sound of the crash,

devastated by the sheer scale of the destruction. mr; devastated by the sheer scale of the destruction. ~ , , devastated by the sheer scale of the destruction-— destruction. my husband does that kind of work- _ destruction. my husband does that kind of work. it _ destruction. my husband does that kind of work. it could _ destruction. my husband does that kind of work. it could have - destruction. my husband does that kind of work. it could have been i destruction. my husband does that| kind of work. it could have been his friend. tt’s kind of work. it could have been his friend. �* , . kind of work. it could have been his friend. �*, ., _ ., friend. it's a symbol of america. it's ve friend. it's a symbol of america. it's very sad _ friend. it's a symbol of america. it's very sad very _ friend. it's a symbol of america. it's very sad very sad. _ it's very sad very sad. investigators have made it clear they believe this was an accident and have ruled out any kind of terrorist incident. taste and have ruled out any kind of terrorist incident.— and have ruled out any kind of terrorist incident. we will move heaven and _ terrorist incident. we will move heaven and earth _ terrorist incident. we will move heaven and earth to _ terrorist incident. we will move heaven and earth to open - terrorist incident. we will move heaven and earth to open the i terrorist incident. we will move i heaven and earth to open the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as you many possible and we will work hand—in—hand with support to support maryland. for hand-in-hand with support to support ma land. ., ., ,., hand-in-hand with support to support ma land. ., ., ., maryland. for now, the port of baltimore. _ maryland. for now, the port of baltimore, one _ maryland. for now, the port of baltimore, one of— maryland. for now, the port of baltimore, one of the - maryland. for now, the port of baltimore, one of the ten - maryland. for now, the port of. baltimore, one of the ten largest maryland. for now, the port of- baltimore, one of the ten largest in the states, remains closed and the loss of the bridge severs a key artery for large vehicles in america bus eastern seaboard. the impact will be felt for months to come. extraordinary images —

so why did the ship go off course? and why did this huge bridge come crashing down so easily? rebecca morelle has been looking at the sequence of events. what do we know about what happened in baltimore? data analysed by bbc verify shows the ship set off from the port at 12:16am, localtime. the dali is a 300 metre long container ship. 0nboard were two "pilots", mariners from the local port with specialist knowledge to guide the vessel out to sea. it was heading towards the central section of the bridge, which is wide enough and high enough for the ship. but it veered off course, crashing into this supporting column. so what happened ? in this video, the ship's nearing the bridge, but at 1:24am its lights suddenly go out, suggesting a major technical failure. a minute later, they're back on. three minutes after, black smoke

is billowing from the ship. 0n the bridge, you can see lights, where a team is fixing potholes on the road. a mayday call went out then, moments later, at 1:28am, the ship collided with the bridge, causing it to collapse. if you lose power while manoeuvring, there's a possibility you could lose control of the steering of the vessel momentarily. there are regulations as to how quickly you have to be able to regain that control if that does happen. but, obviously, in such a confined area, though seconds or minutes could make the difference between having a collision or not. so why did such a large part of the bridge collapse? the bridge opened in 1977 and at its centre is a continuous section spanning 366 metres with four supports. bridges are tested for impacts but we don't know if calculations would have included

a vessel this size. ships are bigger now than they were in the �*70s. the head—on collision took out an entire load—bearing support. protective reinforcements can be added to these, but it's not clear if they were here. you have a long element that is supported by four supports and you are simply removing one of them. i could not imagine another situation where a bridge like that would resist such a massive force. a major search effort is still going on, using sonar to try and locate any vehicles that fell into the 15 metres of water, and an investigation into the tragedy has already begun. sophie. new details have emerged about how the clapham chemical attacker, abdul ezedi, gained asylum in the uk, despite being a convicted sex offender. ezedi attacked a woman and two

children in the street with a corrosive substance injanuary. his body was later found in the river thames, ending a police manhunt. our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford, reports. in the aftermath of his savage attack on a mother and her two children, abdul ezedi fled across london. the corrosive substance he'd used in the attack had also scarred his own face. and within hours hejumped into the thames from chelsea bridge, his body emerging almost three weeks later. until now, we've only been able to report sketchy details of ezedi's multiple attempts to claim asylum and his sexual offending history. but now, at the request of the bbc and other media companies, the immigration tribunal has released this case file. the dossier shows ezedi arrived from afghanistan in 2016. his initial asylum claim was turned down very quickly and his appeal

refused the next year, with a judge saying his story was a mass of inconsistencies — but he wasn't removed from the uk. in 2019, he made fresh submissions, this time including these photographs showing him being baptised at grange road baptist church injarrow. again, he was turned down. by now, he had been convicted of sexual assault and was on the sex offenders register, so the church made him sign this safeguarding contract. in it, he agreed to only enter the church when accompanied by a named male member of the congregation. but at his appeal in october 2020, the former minister from the church gave evidence saying ezedi's conversion was genuine and a judge granted him asylum the next month. and so, seven years after arriving, and after multiple refusals of asylum, ezedi had won and was still in the uk this year to carry out the attack. in an ironic twist in the tale, when abdul ezedi was buried a fortnight ago, as these exclusive pictures given to the bbc show,

it was a muslim ceremony at the request of his friends and family. daniel sandford, bbc news. fighting continues in gaza, despite the un's call for an immediate ceasefire. israel has recalled its negotiators from mediation talks in doha, claiming discussions with hamas are "at a dead end". hamas is now demanding a complete withdrawal of israeli forces from gaza before any hostage release negotiations can begin, something israel has branded "delusional". jeremy bowen reports from jerusalem. this was gaza, the morning after the un security council voted for a ceasefire. israel's military released this video and said it pounded gaza with 60 more airstrikes on what it always calls terror targets. and more palestinians were killed — civilians, according to the survivors who came to the hospital in rafah to say their last goodbyes.

they went to bed hoping for a ceasefire, says alaa abdul latif. she lists the names of nine dead children. the oldest was eight. in the night, everyone she cared about, 30 close family were killed. mahmoud shahab says "what security council? "what will they do? "massacres, one after the other, no matter what they say." they prayed for the family, for the dead children, some of the bodies reduced to fragments of flesh and bone. injerusalem, vigils continue for israelis missing from family dinner tables since hamas took them hostage on the 7th of october. the people taken and killed by hamas dominate minds and the news in israel. i asked israelis outside their parliament about america's decision not to block the ceasefire resolution, starting with yehudit and esther.

it's the same for the jewish. israel and america is friends. and we... they don't support us. we think that they leave us alone. they had a brief disagreement with katia. like many israelis, she blames prime minister netanyahu, known here as bibi. bibi, he's the one that he... he provoked biden all the time. but then it's our friend. i like him very, very much. and he helped us. this is bibi's resolution. bibi decided. bibi decided to provoke biden until the us will not.. - how do you call this? a vote ? a vote against. they abstained. abstained, yeah. this is what bibi wanted to do. so you feel more alone here? i feel much more alone in here, yes, i feel much more alone. _ israelis overwhelmingly support the war and the way

it's being fought. many don't believe gazans are starving. but a big majority is fed up with prime minister netanyahu, who they believe puts his own career ahead of their security. israel is fighting this war against the background of a severe domestic political crisis, a growing sense of international isolation and significant damage to its most important alliance with the united states. now, israel's wars are usually short and sharp, and mostly victorious. so far, this war is not. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. the bbc�*s director general says the corporation will launch its biggest ever consultation process next year on the future of the bbc so that the public can drive the debate. tim davie said it was right to ask fundamental questions about the licence fee's longevity in a world that is now full of choice. here's our media editor, katie razzall. got some intel for

you from the prison. nearly 12 million people watched happy valley. i'm a traitor. the traitors was one of the most talked—about shows on british tv. this remains one of the toughest processes around. and old stalwarts like the apprentice still bring an audience. but, in a world of rapidly changing media habits, do we still need a licence fee—funded bbc? the government says it wants a new model. girector general, tim davie, today defended the bbc�*s role in public life, but signalled he is open to licence fee changes. we will proactively research how to reform the licence fee post—2028, looking at its scope, how it could be more progressive, and making sure its enforcement is fair and proportionate. it felt like you were the first director general to question the future of the licence fee. are you signalling its end? i do think that, absolutely,

we need to be universal, to be independent, and i believe in a non—commercial offer in the uk. it's precious. you know, free from advertising. we have reformed the licence fee over time. we've made changes, we've developed it. we've gone through radio, television, all the various eras in the bbc. it's absolutely right that we ask those questions as we go forward. a time traveller came to call... but, as a recent deal with disney over doctor who shows, the licence fee can't pay for it all, and so there was also a commitment to more commercial deals. you talked as well about boosting the bbc�*s commercial income. how do you plan to do that? we have actually got a very good record in the bbc of appropriately commercialising the bbc. so i'm not talking about advertising on uk services... that's never going to happen? not on my watch. the fact that we've grown a commercial arm that's nearly

2 billion in revenues, which allows us to do deals like the disney deal to invest in shows like doctor who, that makes total sense. more commercial deals will save the licence fee payer money in the long term, says this media analyst. so he is talking about really making the most of bbc creative content and finding the most imaginative ways to finance that, and we can only be in favour of that, because that will, of course, keep the licence fee down. tim davie also announced a further £200 million of cuts to the bbc. in his most political speech in recent times, he called the government's decision to strip money out of a key public institution particularly short—sighted. katie razzall, bbc news. buckingham palace says the king and queen willjoin other members of the royal family at the easter sunday service held at st george's chapel in windsor. it will be the king's most significant public appearance since he was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.

rishi sunak has carried out a mini reshuffle of his team, after the resignation of two government ministers. luke hall has replaced robert halfon as education minister after he unexpectedly stepped down. and james heappey has resigned as armed forces minister. leo docherty has taken his role. an american journalist who was arrested in russia a year ago on charges of espionage has had his detention behind bars extended as he waits for his trial. evan gershkovich, who's a reporter for the wall streetjournal, is the first western journalist to face such charges since the fall of the soviet union. outside the court, the us ambassador in moscow called the accusations against him categorically untrue and fiction. 0ur russia editor, steve rosenberg, reports. we were not allowed into the moscow city courthouse. nothing personal. alljournalists were being kept out. instead, the court released its own video — just six seconds of evan

gershkovick. ajudge ruled he must stay injail. evan, how are you? this week marks one year since the wall streetjournal reporter was arrested in russia. evan gershkovick, the first us journalist here since the cold war to be charged with spying. he and his employer insist he's innocent. so does the us government. it's demanding that russia let him go. the message is, release him, release him now. he was and is a journalist who was doing hisjob, doing nothing wrong. the insinuations that he was somehow engaging in some kind of criminal activity is just flat—out false. last month, vladimir putin hinted that mr gershkovick could be freed in a prisoner swap.

in return, the kremlin's thought to want the release of an fsb officer who's serving a life sentence for murder in germany. no deal yet. if convicted, the usjournalist faces up to 20 years in prison. russian officials no longer hide the fact that evan gershkovick is a bargaining chip, someone they would, in theory, be willing to exchange for one of their own in prison in the west. his fate has attracted worldwide attention. he is by no means the only american behind bars in russia. former us marine paul whelan is serving a 16—year sentence for espionage. america insists he's innocent. anotherjournalist holds us and russian citizenships. she's been accused of spreading false information about the russian army. as for evan gershkovick, those who know him well just want him home.

we all miss our best friend, we all miss talking to him all the time and all his friends feel the same way. they have some part of their lives where there is this big hole, this big absence. evan gershkovick is a journalist who loves russia and loves reporting on russia. but he remains in a russianjail. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. us federal agents have raided two properties in la and miami belonging to the rapper sean "diddy" combs. the hip hop star and three—time grammy winner is facing a number of allegations of sexual misconduct. he's denied all the accusations. 0ur la correspondent emma vardy reports. he's one of hip hop's most influential and richest figures. 0riginally known as puff daddy, and later p diddy, as well as his own musical achievements, he's also credited with launching the careers of a number of female artists.

last year, he was accused of years of physical and sexual abuse by his former long—term girlfriend. they settled out of court, but three other people came forward bringing lawsuits for sexual misconduct. now, properties he's connected with in la and miami have been searched by federal officers. the department of homeland security, simply saying it was part of an ongoing investigation. the raids at this mansion and this exclusive neighborhood near beverly hills follow months of accusations against the rapper. some alleged victims claim they were drugged and coerced into having sex. the question now is whether the civil lawsuits he's facing develop into criminal charges. sean combs, who's now 5a, posted on social media last year that the allegations were sickening and that he would fight to clear his name. the federal government is very deliberate in when they bring criminal charges. and for them to be executing this warrant now, i imagine this investigation has been

going on for months or longer. and they usually do not indict someone, especially someone of this kind of public magnitude, without having all their ducks already lined up. so i imagine it is a very serious case. this could be a moment of reckoning for an icon of the hip hop world, who made his name as a self—styled bad boy in the industry. emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles. the gardener and tv presenter alan titchmarsh is not known for courting controversy. but he has caused some upset in north korea. and it's all because of a pair of trousers he chose to wear more than a decade ago. graham satchell explains. this is alan titchmarsh as you've never quite seen him before, on north korean state tv. look at his jeans — they have been blurred, censored, by the north korean authorities. it has taken me to the age of 7a to be regarded in the same way as elvis presley, tom jones, rod stewart and co.

so, secretly, very bemused, but really rather chuffed with it, really. alan's jeans haven't been blurred because they are erotic, but because north korea views ofjeans as a symbol of american imperialism. i am not really a dangerous, subversive imperialist, i am just a gardener who likes going out and beautifying the landscape, wherever i can beautify that landscape. i'm happy if it's in places where other beautifiers don't get. quite what viewers in north korea make of watching alan titchmarsh gardening in blurred jeans is not clear, but they can do so safe in the knowledge that they will not be overly influenced by western capitalists' greatest anti—socialist bourgeois weapon, the bluejean. graham satchell, bbc news. what a nail—biter for wales tonight — they've been playing poland

for a place in this year's euros. the game went to extra time and then to penalties. hywel griffith has been watching the night unfold in cardiff. for decades, wales wandered in the wilderness of world football, failing to qualify for major tournaments, left out in the cold. but the last decade has been different. these fans arrived hoping they could be in line for a 30 euros in a row. the stakes were high, the volume too. in a nervy start, ben davies could have set his sights a little lower for the first real chance. wales with a bigger threat, butjust chance. wales with a bigger threat, but just couldn't connect. chance. wales with a bigger threat, butjust couldn't connect. until kieffer moore's header found butjust couldn't connect. until kieffer moore's headerfound ben kieffer moore's header found ben davies, kieffer moore's headerfound ben davies, a fraction offside. wales's aerial advantage raised hopes again,

but he could not get over chesney. then the tension started to show in the tackles. poland applied pressure, without reward. 90 minutes wasn't enough. the nerves would have to last into extra time. petroski had the chance to settle it. as the minutes ticked by, the two sides were in stalemate. so the agony of extra time has turned into the pain of penalties. as i speak, the stadium behind me, the score is 4—4. all of the penalty takers from poland and wales have hit the mark. keeper mark rattled the bar, but it went in, to the relief of the red wall behind him. nobody leaving the stadium, they are crossing their fingers and biting their nails, hoping wales can do it.

but this is uncharted territory for wales. they never had to go through extra time and penalties to reach a major tournament. extra time and penalties to reach a majortournament. it extra time and penalties to reach a major tournament. it looks like it's going to continue. poland getting the latest penalty. i'm not sure how much of this tension i can take. what is it like in cardiff? i'm watching it on the screen, and on it goes. tt watching it on the screen, and on it noes. , watching it on the screen, and on it toes, , , ., watching it on the screen, and on it noes. ,, . __ goes. it is bizarre, everybody should be _ goes. it is bizarre, everybody should be streaming - goes. it is bizarre, everybody should be streaming out, - goes. it is bizarre, everybody i should be streaming out, either goes. it is bizarre, everybody - should be streaming out, either in tears ofjoy or commiseration, but everything is still happening inside the stadium. it means so much to these fans, as we said in that report. decades without going to big tournaments. lots of people were hoping there would be on the internet booking hotels in germany by now. i'm hearing big cheers, and i am hoping it is a wales goal that has gone in. fingers crossed. it looks like wales are out.

unfortunately, that seems to be at. well, what a horrible way for that to finish for wales. 0ut out on penalties. time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich.