CHAOS erupted at one of America’s busiest ports yesterday after more than 60 shipping containers plunged off a cargo ship and into the Pacific Ocean.
The shocking incident unfolded just before 9am at the Port of Long Beach, outside Los Angeles.
The cargo vessel Mississippi was docked at Terminal G when the huge metal boxes began tumbling overboard.
Port of Long Beach spokesman Art Marroquin told the Los Angeles Times the disaster struck as crews were preparing for unloading.
Footage from the scene shows containers cascading over the side like toppled Jenga pieces.
Several smashed into the water with terrifying force, leaving some crumpled and bent out of shape.
The Mississippi, which had last docked in China two weeks earlier, was seen leaning heavily to one side.
Clips obtained by KTLA captured the dramatic listing of the massive ship.
Some of the falling containers landed on the STAX 2 – an anti-pollution vessel positioned alongside the Mississippi.
The STAX 2 is designed to capture emissions, but yesterday it was battered by the falling steel boxes.
A tugboat raced to the scene and tried desperately to push the containers back towards the pier.
Video from ABC 7 showed a shocking sight – shoes and clothing floating among the wreckage.
In total, about 67 containers were sent plunging into the Pacific.
Miraculously, no one was hurt during the collapse.
But operations at the port were immediately suspended as crews scrambled to secure the area.
The United States Coast Guard swooped in to assist with the emergency response.
Officials set up a 500-yard safety zone around the Mississippi, NBC Los Angeles reported.
A Coast Guard helicopter carried out aerial surveillance to monitor the unfolding chaos.
Meanwhile, workers were seen blasting the water with high-pressure hoses to stop containers drifting out to sea.
The cause of the collapse is still under investigation.
What impact it may have on global shipping routes remains unclear.
The Port of Long Beach is one of the busiest in the world – handling more than 9 million containers from 2,000 ships each year.
It moves a quarter of all containers on the West Coast, with around 40 per cent of the nation’s total trade also flowing through Long Beach and neighbouring Los Angeles.
