Baltimore Mayor Pleads On CNN For News Networks To Quit Showing Key Bridge Disaster Video Over And Over

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said he wanted to be the first to ask CNN and other networks to “stop showing the video” of the Key Bridge disaster “over and over” as families await word of their loved ones.

The cargo container ship Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore at around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, causing what appears to be most of the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River. At this hour, seven people are believed to be missing as rescuers search the waterway.

On Tuesday’s edition of CNN News Central, anchor Sara Sidner interviewed the mayor by telephone and asked for his reaction to the images that were captured on a live stream of the river:

SARA SIDNER: Mayor Scott, first of all, I just want to say that I am so sorry that your community is going through this right now, and that there are families wondering and worrying about their loved ones at this hour. Can you tell me so far what you know about exactly what happened here to the Francis Scott Key Bridge?

MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT: Well, listen, we have an unspeakable tragedy. We know that this vessel struck the bridge and the bridge collapsed. There were individuals working on the bridge at that time. There are cars in the water.

Our fire department has confirmed that as they lead this ongoing search and rescue mission, through sonar. That is where our focus is, is about those souls and people that we’re trying to find and get out of this water.

We know that there are going to be questions about the bridge and traffic and the port, but right now, everyone in this world’s focus should be about these souls and those families who are wondering if these people are going to walk back in the door after they walked out to work last night.

SARA SIDNER: Yeah, that’s a really good point, that that the anxiety of of all this and then plus just watching the video of what happened and how quickly the bridge failed, can you give me some sense of what you thought at first light this morning when you saw the pictures of actually what that bridge looks like with the barge slammed into it there? What were your initial thoughts?

MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT: Well, it was something out of an action movie. It’s something you never think you would see. And, being here right now, looking at it is even more surreal.

And it just makes you think about, again, those families, those individuals that were on that bridge, those folks there, even on that, that vessel even more, because no one should have to endure.

And I’m going to be the first to ask that CNN and everyone else stop showing the video. No one needs to see, a possibility of their family member being severely injured or otherwise. Over and over and over again because it’s just traumatizing our community.

SARA SIDNER: Fair enough.

Watch above via CNN News Central.