A cargo ship lost power and slammed into the main bridge in Baltimore early on March 26, demolishing it in seconds. Baltimore Bridge Collapse into the river that might shut down vital commercial port for months.
Six people were missing and thought dead, and the search was halted until Wednesday morning.
The ship’s crew made a mayday call moments before the collapse that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Maryland’s governor said this allowed officials to restrict car traffic on the span.
As the vessel approached the bridge, plumes of black smoke could be seen as the lights blinked on and off. It hit one of the bridge’s supports, prompting the structure to fall apart like a doll and bringing a part of the span to rest on the bow.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said that with the ship approaching the bridge at “a very, very rapid speed,” officials had barely enough time to prevent automobiles from crossing.
“These people are heroes,” Mr. Moore stated. “They saved lives last night.”
Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of Maryland State Police, said in the evening that a search and recovery operation replaced the search and rescue mission.
He also stated that the search had been paused and that divers would return to the location at 6 a.m. Wednesday, when the challenging overnight circumstances were expected to ease. Mr Butler stated that no bodies had been recovered.
All about the ‘ship hits bridge in Baltimore’
The incident occurred in the middle of the night, well before the hectic morning commute on the 2.6-kilometre bridge, utilized by 12 million vehicles last year.
The six persons who went missing were part of a construction crew that was fixing potholes on the bridge, according to Paul Wiedefeld, the state transportation secretary.
The Guatemalan consulate in Maryland announced in a press release that two of the missing were Central American citizens. It did not reveal their names but stated that consular officers contacted authorities and aided the families.
According to Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio GarcÃa, Honduran national Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval has gone missing. He claimed to have been in communication with Suazo’s relatives.
The Washington Consulate of Mexico also confirmed, via the social media platform X, that Mexican citizens were among those missing. It did not specify how many.
A senior official from the company that employed the workers also stated in the afternoon that the workers were presumed dead due to the level of the water and the amount of time that had passed.
Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said the crew was working in the middle of the bridge when it collapsed.
“This was so completely unexpected,” Mr. Pritzker stated. “We do not know what more to say. We are delighted with our safety measures, which include cones, signs, lights, barriers, and flaggers.
How the Baltimore Bridge collapse?
Jesus Campos, who has laboured on the bridge for Brawner Builders and recognizes some of the crew members, said he was told they were taking a break and sitting in their trucks.
“I know that a month ago, I was there, and I know what it feels like when the trailers pass,” Mr. Campos said. “Imagine being aware that you are falling. It’s tough. “One wouldn’t know what to do.”
Father Ako Walker, a Roman Catholic priest at Sacred Heart of Jesus, said he devoted time to the families of the lost workers while they waited for word on their loved ones.
“You can see the pain etched on their faces,” Father Walker explained.
Rescuers retrieved two persons from the water; one received medical care in a hospital and was released hours later. Although authorities believed no one was inside, multiple automobiles also entered the river.
“It looked like something out of an action movie,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said, describing it as “an unthinkable tragedy.” According to the Maryland Transportation Authority, first responder radio communications were acquired from the Broadcastify.com archive. A police dispatcher issued a call soon before the bridge collapsed. It states that a ship had lost its steering and requested that all bridge traffic be stopped.
One cop who had stopped traffic said he would drive onto the bridge to notify the construction crew. But seconds later, a frightened cop exclaimed, “The entire bridge just collapsed. “Start, whoever, everybody… the entire bridge just collapsed.”
On a second radio channel for service and construction personnel, someone reported that cops were blocking traffic because a ship had lost steering. There was no follow-up evacuation order, and the bridge collapsed 30 seconds later, leaving the waterway silent.
Impact and Aftermath: Baltimore Bridge Collapse Triggers Crisis
According to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, 35 major bridge collapses were caused by ship or barge collisions between 1960 and 2015.
Tuesday’s collapse is expected to cause a logistical nightmare along the East Coast for months, if not years, by shutting down ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore, a crucial centre. The bridge’s closure will also disrupt cargo and commuter traffic.
“Losing this bridge will devastate the entire area and the entire East Coast,” state Senator Johnny Ray Salling stated.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a press conference that it is too early to determine how long it will take to clear the 15-meter-deep waterway.
“I do not know of a bridge that has been constructed to withstand a direct impact from a vessel of this size,” he said.
According to Marine Traffic records, the Dali, flying the Singapore flag from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, is approximately 300 metres long and 48 metres wide.
Synergy Marine Group, which handles the ship, stated that it collided with a bridge pillar around 1:30 a.m. while piloted by one or more local specialists who assist in securely guiding vessels into and out of ports. Grace Ocean Private Ltd owns the ship.
Synergy said all crew members and the two pilots were safe, and no injuries were reported.
The governor said the ship was going at 8 knots, or around nine mph (14.8 kph).
Inspectors discovered a fault with Dali’s machinery in June. However, a more recent inspection revealed no deficiencies, according to the maritime tracking system Equasis.
The Danish shipping company Maersk said it had rented the vessel.
Jagged bridge fragments could be seen thrusting up from the sea following the collapse. The on-ramp abruptly halted where the span had begun.
Big Personnel View on Baltimore Bridge Collapse
Donald Heinbuch, a former fire chief in Baltimore, reported being jolted awake by a powerful rumble. This shook his house for several seconds and “felt like an earthquake.” He drove to the river’s edge and could not believe what he saw.
“The ship was there, and the bridge was in the water like it was blown up,” he said.
The bridge crosses the Patapsco River at the entrance to the busy harbour. The harbour connects to the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The bridge, which opened in 1977, is named for the author of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
President Joe Biden said he plans to visit Baltimore. He adds the federal government will cover the entire cost of reconstruction.
“This will take some time,” Mr. Biden added.
Last year, the Port of Baltimore carried a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo. This was worth $80 billion, as reported by the state.
The director of a supply chain management firm said Americans should expect commodity shortages. He added this is due to the collapse’s impact on ocean container shipping and East Coast trucks.
“It’s not just the Baltimore port that will be affected,” said Ryan Petersen, Flexport’s CEO.
However, because Baltimore is not a major container port, the collapse is unlikely to impact global trade significantly. Judah Levine, head of research for global freight booking platform Freightos, believes its facilities are more vital for products like farm equipment and automobiles.
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