Washington | US President Joe Biden and his head of domestic security have all but ruled out foul play after a container ship lost power in Baltimore and rammed a bridge, which immediately collapsed into the Patapsco River.

Six people, believed to be bridge maintenance workers, were still unaccounted for more than 12 hours after the accident, which has cut off access to one of the largest specialised cargo ports in America. The US Coast Guard was leading a search and rescue operation, along with the Army Corps of Engineers and other authorities. The FBI is investigating.