Baltimore, MD– Early Tuesday morning around 1:30 a.m. in Baltimore, Maryland a cargo ship by the name of Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Quick Context
To add some context for those who may not know much about the bridge, it is a bridge that 30,000+ vehicles cross every day and has been there for almost 50 years.
Here is a picture before the collapse:
Then, early Tuesday morning a cargo ship headed out of the local port headed towards the bridge on the river.
Down below: A video shows that power flickered multiple times, leading to the emergency generator having to turn on.
You can also hear in the audio that the ship called a Mayday as it lost control of its vessel and was headed towards the bridge. It dropped down its anchor attempting to turn the other way, but failed.
The ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the whole thing collapsed.
Forces from across Maryland assisted in the Search and Rescue operation in the Patapsco River to find the construction men who were repairing potholes on the bridge.
What’s Happening Now
Rescue operations are coming to an end as 6 out of the 8 men that were presumably dead.
The other two were saved, one went to the hospital and has been released. The other did not go to the hospital, but it is unknown if the worker refused medical treatment.
At 6:00 a.m. EST, The United States Coastguard based in Baltimore had divers in the river searching for the bodies of those 6 presumed dead.
Multiple vehicles assumed to be those of the construction workers were spotted in the river.
The Federal government has also stated they will be paying for the full rebuild.
Quotes to Note:
MAERSK, DANISH COMPANY THAT CHARTERED THE DALI
“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected.
“We are closely following the investigations conducted by authorities and Synergy, and we will do our utmost to keep our customers informed.”
MARYLAND GOVERNOR WES MOORE
“I have declared a State of Emergency here in Maryland and we are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden administration.”
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
“Coast Guard watchstanders received a report into the Coast Guard Sector Maryland – National Capital Region command center at 1:27 a.m. reporting a 948-foot Singapore-flagged containership collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Additionally, it was reported that the bridge collapsed and there were reports of persons in the water…An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast is issued regarding the incident and there has been a 2000-yard safety zone issued for the surrounding waters. Mariners are urged to avoid the area.”
THE WHITE HOUSE
“Our hearts go out to the families of those who remain missing as a result of this horrific incident…Senior White House officials are in touch with the Governor and Mayor to offer any federal assistance they need.
“There is no indication of any nefarious intent.”
BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER RICHARD WORLEY
“There is absolutely no indication that this is terrorism, that this was done on purpose.”
Quotes from Reuters
Brookland News’ deepest condolences belong to the families and to those closely involved.