Crew members at a massive cargo port outside of Los Angeles rushed to respond after more than 60 shipping containers slipped off a vessel and fell into the ocean.
Port of Long Beach spokesman Art Marroquin told the Los Angeles Times the incident occurred just before 9am, as the cargo ship the Mississippi was docked at Terminal G.
Footage from the scene shows the containers toppling over the side of the Mississippi like Jenga pieces and crashing into the water, leaving some of the containers disfigured.
The Mississippi, which was last docked in China two weeks ago, was then seen listing to one side in the footage obtained by KTLA.
Some of the containers appeared to have fallen on the STAX 2, an anti-pollution vessel attached to the side of the Mississippi that captures emissions, as a tugboat attempted to push the containers back to the pier.
Video from ABC 7 also caught shoes and apparel floating in the water following the collapse.
In all, about 67 containers were said to have landed in the Pacific Ocean.
No injuries have been reported, but all operations at the port have been temporarily suspended as crew members work to secure the lost containers.
The United States Coast Guard is also helping in the efforts, establishing a 500-yard safety zone around the ship, according to NBC Los Angeles.
A Coast Guard helicopter also conducted aerial surveillance of the area.
Meanwhile, crew members were seen apparently spraying high-pressure water to prevent the containers from floating out to sea.
An investigation into what may have caused the containers to collapse is ongoing, and it remains unclear what effect the incident may have on international shipping.
The Port of Long Beach handles more than 9 million 20-foot containers every year from 2,000 vessels – moving a quarter of all containers on the West Coast.
About 40 percent of all shipping containers in the United States also come through the Port of Long Beach or the nearby Los Angeles port.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
