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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Guardian staff and agencies

Dramatic footage shows 67 cargo cases toppling off ship into California port

Dramatic footage has captured the moment that more than 60 containers toppled off a cargo ship on Tuesday morning in the Port of Long Beach, one of the busiest ports in the US.

The shipping containers fell off a vessel named the Mississippi shortly before 9am at the port, located about 20 miles (32km) south of Los Angeles. Video on social media showed a huge stack of containers tumbling overboard and into the waters below.

No injuries have been reported, according to a Port of Long Beach spokesperson, Art Marroquin. About 67 containers were in the water, the US Coast Guard said on Twitter/X.

The containers appeared to be carrying products from China, ranging from shoes to electronic goods, according to local news reports.

Long Beach is one of the most highly trafficked seaports in the country, with 40% of all shipping containers in the US coming through it or the Los Angeles port.

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. When empty, a container can weigh between two to four metric tonnes (2.2 to 4.4 tonnes) depending on the size.

The Pier G container terminal, one of six at the port, temporarily stopped unloading and loading ships as authorities worked to secure the containers.

The Mississippi sails under the flag of Portugal and arrived in Long Beach after departing on 26 August from the Yantian port in Shenzhen, China, according to vessel tracking websites.

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