Buttigieg says various federal agencies will be working together to help the Baltimore community.

He says they will keep the airspace above the bridge clear for emergency personnel and will establish a new freight office to work on potential supply chain impacts.

The US Transportation Secretary says work was being done to help commuters and transport routes, with the loss of the key bridge.

He says he has no doubt Baltimore "will come back stronger than ever before".

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is speaking to reporters now.

He says it's been an "excruciating day" for several families of those involved in the incident.

Rescuers say they are still searching for six people, and emphasise that it is an "active search and rescue" mission.

Governor Wes Moore has just repeated there is no new information regarding those six people who are missing.

Image source, Getty Images

We're now hearing from Maryland Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, who says it will be "critical" for the US economy to figure out a way to open up the Maryland port, which is one of the biggest in the US.

He thanks President Joe Biden, who he says is doing everything he can to fix the site of the crash.

Governor Moore says the community has a "long road" ahead after the bridge collapse.

"This will not be short," he says, adding that it will take long-term thinking and planning to figure out what the area will look like after the incident.

We're hearing from Maryland Governor Wes Moore now, who says that he has been spending parts of the day with the families of the people who are still missing, and praying for them.

"We want to let them know that we are here with you every single step of the way," he says.

He is also thanking the first responders who he says have been working non-stop since the bridge collapsed to rescue victims.

He says this is still an active search and rescue mission.

We're expecting to hear an update from Maryland Governor Wes Moore in the next few minutes.

You can click the play button at the top of this page to watch it live.

We'll also bring you text updates, so stick with us.

We've just heard from the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy.

Homendy told media in Baltimore that the investigation is in the very early stages.

There were several questions from journalists, but Homendy declined to weigh in on many specifics.

She said the main focus right now is looking for people who are missing.

A reporter just asked about the NTSB's priorities in addition to search and rescue, like cleaning up the debris.

Homendy replied: "Right now, it's about people. It's about families and addressing the needs of those that were impacted. That's the focus.

"I don't think anybody in that room right now at the command post is thinking about what are the next steps to get things cleaned up."

The Dali container ship that crashed into the Baltimore bridge is a Singapore registered vessel.

Officials from Singapore's port authority will be arriving tomorrow, the NTSB chief says.

"I have been in contact with my counterpart in Singapore," she adds.

There are a team of experts investigating the incident, Homendy says.

This includes nautical operations experts who will look into the safety history and record of the ship, and structural engineers and bridge experts.

"Others are coming in the next few hours," she adds.

A family assistance team will also be available, working with those who were affected by the incident.

"[The family assistance team] will help them get in touch with the resources they need and provide them with the information they need as we move forward with our investigation."

Image source, Getty

"I want to extend our deepest sympathies to those who have been affected by this significant event," Homendy says, adding search and rescue efforts are still underway more than 12 hours on from the disaster.

Homendy adds that she won't answer questions about fatalities or injuries, saying that is the role of other authorities.

Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), says her team arrived on the scene at 06:00 local time (10:00 GMT) to investigate the incident.

She said her department is leading the investigation and is supported by the US Coast Guard.

NTSB Secretary Pete Buttigieg is heading to the site of the bridge collapse, his office confirmed, according to The New York Times.

In just a few moments we are expecting to hear from Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board.

You can watch a livestream of the press conference by pressing play at the top of the page.

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Just a few weeks ago, Maryland officials were celebrating new cargo records at the Port of Baltimore, which helped to put the city on the map in the 1800s and remains an important economic driver for the region.

But the collapse of the bridge will severely disrupt business.

While not one of the biggest ports in the US – it ranked 17th last year for total tonnage handled, external – it plays a key role in car shipments, handling more than 800,000 last year.

That made it the country’s top port for car shipments for the 13th year in a row, according to Maryland officials., external

Disruption will force firms to re-route to other ports on the east coast.

Ford said the company had already developed "workarounds" while GM said in a statement that it expected "minimal impact" from the port closing.

Mirko Woitzik, global director of intelligence for Everstream Analytics, said the disruption was likely to “strain labor and handling capacities at other ports such as Philadelphia and Norfolk” and cause “spill-over congestions and delays that could last months”.

Image source, EPA

• There are still six people missing following a bridge collapse at the Port of Baltimore
• The Francis Scott Key Bridge snapped and collapsed into the water about 01:30 local time (05:30 GMT) after a container ship crashed into it
• Eight people fell into the water - two have been rescued. They are all believed to be part of a construction crew that was fixing potholes on the bridge at the time

• A mayday signal was sent when the ship was approaching the bridge, which gave authorities time to stop cars driving onto the bridge and "saved lives", Maryland Governor Wes Moore said
• The crew on board the vessel, which is a Singapore-flagged container ship called Dali, told authorities they were having a power issue moments before the ship crashed

• The governor said the vessel was moving at 8 knots, roughly 9mph (15km/h), which he says was "very, very rapid"
• The FBI says there is no credible link to terrorism, and the incident is believed to be an accident
• President Biden has said his government will pay "for the entire cost" of bridge repairs and to get the port up and running again

• The Port of Baltimore remains closed to ships, and officials say they are unsure when it will reopen

Multiple alarms blared from the ship as it steered towards the bridge, alerting the crew and pilots, according to two US officials.

The officials told CBS News, BBC's US partner, that the crew ran several tests to try and get propulsion back after an issue with the motor.

When those efforts failed, the pilot immediately alerted local transportation authorities.

We've just heard from Nick Mosby, the president of the Baltimore City Council.

Mosby said he got a call at 03:00 local time. When he saw the video, he was "completely in awe".

He commended all the emergency responders who are looking for those who are missing, and said "conditions are not ideal at all". It's a cold and cloudy day in Baltimore.

Mosby said people have been working "around the clock" to find the six people still unaccounted for.

Authorities in Baltimore say they are still investigating what caused the crash.

Here's what we know so far:

• An unclassified memo by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the ship "lost propulsion as it was leaving Baltimore Harbour"
• Videos of the incident show the lights were flickering on the container ship shortly before impact, indicating it may have lost power
• Officials, including President Biden, said crew on board of the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of the vessel - essentially issuing a mayday call
• At the time, the ship had been moving at a "very rapid speed" towards the bridge, officials said, meaning it could not stop or divert away in time

• The mayday call prompted local authorities to then close the bridge to traffic before it was struck, "undoubtedly saving lives," Biden said
• There are still a number of unanswered questions, including what caused the ship to lose propulsion. Authorities say they are still investigating, though they are currently focused on finding those who remain missing

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Baltimore

I'm at a baseball field not far from the bridge, where some locals have stopped by to catch a glimpse of the wreckage.

Minutes ago, a police helicopter swooped in and landed on the outfield. It was soon joined by a second.

"This is all just so crazy," one of the women told me. "I had no idea about this until I woke up."

Of the people I've spoken to in the area, none actually saw what happened.

Most just woke up this morning to the news that something terrible happened nearby.