BALTIMORE (AP) — It was midnight when a dispatcher's 12-second warning went off over the radio. A huge cargo ship has lost its ability to maneuver and is on its way. francis scott key bridge.
Within about 90 seconds, officers responded that they had managed to stop vehicle traffic in both directions on the Baltimore Bridge. One person said he was trying to drive onto the bridge to warn construction workers.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that was struck by a container ship in Baltimore, Maryland, on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (Maxaar Technologies, via AP)
But it was already too late. The ship, which was loaded with huge containers, lost power and crashed into a pillar.
“The whole bridge has fallen,” said a distraught police officer. “Start, start, anybody, anybody…the whole bridge just collapsed.”
The transport ship Dali struck a pole around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, causing a long span of the bridge, a key link in the area's transportation network, to collapse and flow into the Patapsco River. The loss of the bridge is expected to disrupt commuter traffic. disrupt important shipping ports.
At least eight people went into the water. Two people survived, but the remaining six, some of whom were construction workers filling holes in the bridge, were missing and presumed dead. The search for the body was scheduled to resume on Wednesday morning.
Diplomats from those countries said the missing included people from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. The Honduran man was identified as Sandova Mayor Yasir Suazo.
The American flag flies over a moored boat as the container ship Dali rests on the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, as seen from Pasadena, Maryland, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Federal and state authorities said the crash appeared to be an accident. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, and vessel traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore has been suspended indefinitely.
Captain Michael Burns Jr. of the Center for Responsible Energy and Maritime Affairs says that moving ships into and out of ports in restricted waters with limited maneuvering space is “the most technically challenging and demanding task we do.” “It's one of those things,” he said.
“So there are few things more frightening than losing power in restricted areas,” he says. And when a ship loses propulsion and steering power, it is “right at the mercy of the winds and currents.”
Video showed the ship traveling at about 9 mph (15 kph) toward the 1.6-mile (2.6 km) bridge, as announced by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Traffic was still moving across the span, and some vehicles appeared to have escaped with seconds to spare. The impact caused the span to break and fall into the water within seconds, leaving jagged debris sticking out of the water in the sunlight.
Police said there was no sign that anyone other than the workers entered the water, but they were not discounting the possibility.
An executive with Browner Builders, which employed the crew, said they were working in the middle of the bridge when it collapsed.
“This was totally unexpected,” said Jeffrey Pritzker, the company's executive vice president. “I don't know what else to say. We take great pride in safety and have installed cones, signs, lights, fencing and signs.”
Jesus Campos, who has worked on the Brauner Builders bridge and knows members of the crew, said he heard they were taking a break and some were sitting in their trucks.
“I know I was there a month ago, and I know how it feels when the trailers go by,” Campos said. “Imagine knowing it's going down. It's so hard. You wouldn't know what to do.”
Father Ako Walker, a Catholic priest at Sacred Heart of Jesus, said outside the vigil that he spent time with the families of the missing workers as they waited for news of their loved ones.
“You can see the pain etched on their faces,” Walker said.
A Coast Guard cutter passes a cargo ship stuck under a structural section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland (AP Photo/Steve Helber).
Rescuers pulled the two people out of the water. One person was treated at a hospital and released several hours later.
The accident occurred well before the busy morning commute on the bridge, which was used by 12 million vehicles last year.
From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 cases. big bridge collapses According to the World Water Transport Infrastructure Association, collisions occur around the world due to ship and barge collisions.
collapse of tuesday Along the East Coast, shipping at the Port of Baltimore, a major hub, has been shut down, certain to cause logistical headaches for months, if not longer.
State Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said ship traffic to the port will be suspended until further notice, but the facility will still be open to truck traffic.
“Losing this bridge would be devastating, not just for the entire East Coast, but for the entire region,” said State Sen. Johnny Ray Salling.
A container ship rests on the remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday night, March 26, 2024. Viewed from Sparrows Point, Maryland (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said it was too early to give a deadline for clearing the roughly 50-foot-deep (15-meter) waterway, adding that President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to Baltimore soon and that the federal government would be willing to pay more. The full cost of the rebuild, which he said he expected to pay.
Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship, said the impact occurred while the ship was under the control of one or more pilots, local experts who guide the ship safely into and out of port. Synergy said in a statement Wednesday that one crew member suffered minor injuries and was treated at a hospital.
The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Limited, and Danish shipping giant Maersk announced it had been chartered.
The 985-foot (300-meter) Dali was flying from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, flying the Singaporean flag, according to Marine Traffic data.
The ship also passed inspections by foreign port states in June and September 2023. During the June 2023 inspection, a faulty fuel pressure monitor gauge was corrected before departure, Singapore's Port Authority said in a statement on Wednesday.
Former Baltimore City Fire Chief Donald Heinbach said he was woken up by a deep rumbling that shook the house for several seconds. “It felt like an earthquake,'' he said.
He drove to the river and couldn't believe what he saw. “The ship was there and the bridge was in the water like it had been blown up.”
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called the incident an “unthinkable tragedy.” “My heart breaks for the victims and their families,” Governor Moore said, praising the quick actions of first responders.
“They are literally heroes in that they are able to stop cars coming across the bridge,” Moore said. “They saved lives last night.”
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This report includes Sarah Brumfield, Rebecca Santana, Jake Offenhart, Joshua Goodman, Ben Finley, Claudia Lauer, Brian Witte, Juliet Linderman, David McHugh, John Seewer, and Michael Kunzelman. , Mike Catalini and Sarah Rankin contributed to the story. Associated Press journalists from around the world contributed. .
