Baltimore: 2.6 km long massive bridge. At the time of Kanchimmi opening, about 800 meters of it collapsed and fell into the river as brown dust. The longest Francis Scott Key iron bridge in Maryland in the United States of America was damaged by a cargo ship leaving Baltimore port for Colombo yesterday.
The vehicles on the bridge fell into the river one by one. Many people were saved by the rescue workers, but six people succumbed to their deaths. Several vehicles fell into the river in the accident at 1.30 am local time on Tuesday. More people are suspected to be underwater.
A state of emergency was declared in Baltimore following the accident. The Singaporean-flagged cargo ship Dali hit the iron bridge built 56 meters high across the Patapsco River. As it was early morning, there were fewer vehicles on the bridge and a major disaster was avoided.
BIG BREAKING: Around 20 people are missing after a ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore causing it to collapse. Never seen an entire bridge collapse like this in my life, it's scary asf! Sending prayers to the people affected by this. pic.twitter.com/XOq0vlZQHj pic.twitter.com/6hhnRFpUCx
— (@CapXSid) March 26, 2024
The vessel was chartered by Synergy Marine Group from Maersk Company. The BBC reported that all 22 crew members on board were Indians. They are not injured. Workers also fell into the water as the bridge was being repaired. The rescue operation is difficult due to extreme cold. Officials informed that the bridge including the big crane collapsed and fell into the river.
The preliminary assessment of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is that the incident is not aggressive in nature. The ship left Baltimore's Seagrit Marine Terminal at 12:24 a.m. Tuesday and slowed after an hour. Then the exterior lights on the ship went out completely. Smoke rose.
BREAKING: Ship collides with Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse pic.twitter.com/OcOrSjOCRn
— BNO News (@BNONews) March 26, 2024
It was later that Francis Scott Key hit the pillar of the bridge. Experts related to ships told the media that the accident could be due to various reasons like engine failure, generator failure, steering failure and human error. The giant ship, 300 meters long and 48 meters wide, was involved in the accident. After the incident, water traffic through this route was banned. The broken bridge is the gateway to the busy Baltimore Harbor. The construction of the bridge started in 1972 and was inaugurated in 1977.