New Delhi: In the early hours of Tuesday, a catastrophic event unfolded in Baltimore Harbor when a large cargo ship, disabled by a power outage, collided with a bridge. This led to the bridge’s collapse and the subsequent closure of one of the busiest ports on the US Eastern Seaboard. Six workers are feared dead in the incident. The hazardous conditions in the debris-filled waters forced the suspension of active search-and-rescue operations about 18 hours post-accident, as announced by US Coast Guard and Maryland State Police officials.
Given the icy water temperatures and the time that had passed since the accident, Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath expressed no hope of finding the missing workers alive. State Police Colonel Roland Butler shared plans to resume the recovery mission for the workers’ remains after sunrise on Wednesday. The workers, along with two survivors who were rescued, were part of a crew repairing potholes on the bridge.
The Singapore-flagged container ship Dali, en route from Baltimore Harbor to Sri Lanka, struck a support pylon of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River around 1:30 am (0530 GMT). A section of the 1.6-mile (2.57 km) bridge quickly fell into the icy river, taking vehicles and people with it.
A greater disaster was averted when the ship’s power failure was reported before the collision, allowing officials to halt traffic on the bridge. “These people are heroes. They saved lives last night,” said Maryland Governor Wes Moore during a midday news briefing. He confirmed that the bridge was up to code with no known structural issues.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott likened the scene of twisted metal erupting into the sky to an action movie. Social media footage captured the vessel’s impact with the bridge in the dark, the headlights of vehicles on the span visible as it plunged into the water and the ship ignited.