On Tuesday at 01:30 a.m. local time in Baltimore, a Singapore-flagged container ship ‘Dali’ collided with a support column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse.
It left the Port Breeze terminal around 00:45, destined for Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital.
Six people who were at the time working on the 47-year-old bridge, are missing and believed dead. The Coast Guard announced that it had halted its search and started a recovery attempt.
Several vehicles were crossing the bridge, which was more than 2.6 kilometres (1.6 miles) long, when it collapsed when the ship collided with a support. According to officials, the ship had a "power issue" and issued a distress ‘Mayday’ call shortly before crashing.
Boats and helicopters were part of a massive search and rescue operation looking for the six missing people. Another two people were rescued from the water, and one of them was seriously injured, sent to hospital for treatment.
U.S. President Joe Biden stated that he would visit Baltimore as soon as possible and that search and rescue operations should be prioritised.
"I've directed my team to move heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible," he told reporters.
He stated that the collapse was an accident and that the federal government would "pay for the entire cost of that bridge"; however, the spending would have to be approved by members of Congress.
Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath of the US Coast Guard announced in the evening that the other missing men were presumed dead based on the temperature of the waters they had fallen into and the length of time they had been submerged.
Authorities claim they were part of a construction crew mending potholes when the bridge collapsed.
According to a U.S. federal government agency, the vessel "lost propulsion" while departing the port.
According to an unclassified Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency assessment on the incident, the crew then alerted Maryland transportation officials to a potential collision.
U.S.: President Biden to visit Baltimore after bridge collapse
