The container ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore today at 1:28 am, causing the collapse of its entire center span.
This video tells the whole story. The Dali began to lose power and began to drift toward the middle span. The ship appeared to gain power but quickly lost it again. At that point, the ship crashed into the support.
Holy smokes The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed late last night after it was struck by a container ship….this timelapse of the collision is insane pic.twitter.com/OncSrd7Jxo
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) March 26, 2024
Two people were pulled out of the water. There didn’t seem to be much traffic on this bridge when it collapsed, but there have been reports of an unknown number of construction workers on the bridge. At this time, the number of people missing is not known.
Never would you have imagined that the Key Bridge would fall in such a way. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in an update it looked like something from an action film. He described the situation as “an unthinkable tragedy.”
It’s no surprise that referring to this collapse as “an action film” made the people waiting for news about their loved ones feel special.
Kevin Cartwright, director of communications at the Baltimore Fire Department, told Associated Press that “this is a dire situation”. Our focus is to try and rescue these people. He described the collapse as a “developing event with mass casualties.”
According to Fox 5:
Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld announced that vessel traffic in and out of Baltimore’s Port has been suspended. However, ground traffic is still allowed to pass through.
Maryland Transportation Authority reports that all lanes on the bridge are closed, and traffic is being diverted.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore has declared a State of Emergency and is working to mobilize federal resources.
Unfortunately, because it is March and there are winter weather conditions and high water levels, the rescuers now refer to their work as “recovery operations” instead of a rescue.
Kevin Cartwright is the director of communications for the Baltimore City Fire Department. He told CNN that freezing water “poses a concern” when it comes to finding the missing. Cartwright said, “It feels at least 30 degrees where I’m standing.” Cartwright continued, “It might be a little lower.” “I’m certain that the water is even colder… This can be a risk and concern for our divers.”
Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said several vehicles were detected beneath the surface.
Wallace stated at a press conference regarding the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that “our sonar has detected vehicles submerged in water.” “I haven’t counted that yet.”
The number of casualties could have been much higher if the collapse occurred 12 hours later. The Key Bridge opened in 1977 and is now the second busiest in the Baltimore region, only surpassed by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
