A Mayday call was issued by the crew members of the cargo vessel ‘Dali’ before it slammed into the Baltimore bridge on Tuesday morning. The Baltimore bridge collapse would have killed thousands of lives unless the Indian crew of the vessel warned officials to “stop the flow of traffic so that more cars were not on the bridge”, according to Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Moore went on praising the crew, – “These people are heroes. They saved lives.”
“Many of the vehicles were stopped before they got on the bridge, which saved lives,” the governor told reporters Tuesday morning. The vessel lost power just before it collided into the Baltimore bridge, prompting crew members to issue the warning.
A short time later, at about 1-30 A.M. local time, the Baltimore bridge collapse took place and the 1.6-mile bridge fell into the Patapsco river.
During a press conference at the White House, President Joe Biden praised the crew on the ship for alerting the Maryland Department of Transportation about losing control of their vessel.
“As a result, local authorities were able to close the bridge to traffic before it was struck, which undoubtedly saved lives,” he added.
Emergency responders saved two individuals. Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, stated in a phone call with NBC News on Tuesday evening that six of their employees were believed to have perished.
Paul Wiedefeld, Maryland’s Secretary of Transportation, mentioned that a crew was fixing potholes on the bridge when the collision happened. He clarified that the repairs were unrelated to the bridge’s structural integrity.
Moore stated that the bridge met all safety standards when the incident occurred. He mentioned that authorities were still looking into what caused the collision and the Baltimore bridge collapse. The Maryland governor stated that the collision with the cargo ship seems to have been accidental and there was no indication of terrorism. He mentioned that the vessel was moving at a very high speed during the crash.
“To hear the words that the Key Bridge has collapsed, it’s shocking and heartbreaking,” Moore said.
“For every single one of us who are Marylanders, the words that the Key Bridge is gone — it still shakes us because for over 47 years, that’s all we’ve known,” he added.
A video captured the intense moment when smoke billowed from the ship as it hit a pillar holding up the Francis Scott Key Bridge. This bridge spans Interstate 695 over the Patapsco River near Baltimore. Another livestream captured cars moving across the bridge just moments before the collision.
Both Moore and Maryland senator Chris Van Hollen expressed their thoughts and prayers for those affected by the tragedy.
Around 7:05 a.m, Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski described the Baltimore bridge collapse as a “terrible tragedy” and a “shock” during an interview on TODAY. He mentioned that emergency responders and various city and state agencies have been busy at the scene since the bridge fell.
“Our primary efforts are around search and rescue right now,” Olszewski said. “We have the sun coming up so we can start having our dive teams go in. We’re not just doing the surface searches, but we are actively on this scene.”
During a press conference, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said that one person who was rescued was in good shape and declined treatment. The second person, however, was seriously hurt and is currently receiving treatment at a nearby trauma center.
Wallace mentioned that underwater drones indicated there were vehicles in the river. However, authorities stated on Tuesday that they don’t think anyone was inside those vehicles.
“The best information we have is that the ship, for whatever reason, whether it’s power, or other reason, lost control, ran into the supporting beam of the bridge, which unfortunately caused it to collapse,” Olszewski said on TODAY.
Olszewski mentioned that there’s an ongoing investigation into what caused the Baltimore bridge collapse, along with efforts to search and rescue any survivors.
“We know those answers will come forward, but it’s an absolute tragedy,” he said. “Our efforts are focused on the search and rescue right now as we try to determine both next steps for traffic for commerce, but really right now our hearts go out to and our thoughts and prayers are with those individuals and families who were affected by this collapse.”
Maersk, a shipping company, stated to reporters that Dali was being operated by another company called Synergy Group. Maersk had chartered Dali to transport cargo for its customers.
“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” a spokesperson for Maersk said.
Jennifer Homendy, who heads the National Transportation Safety Board, stated during a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon that the NTSB is spearheading the investigation into the collision between the 985-foot vessel and the bridge, with support from the Coast Guard.
“Before I go on, on behalf of the NTSB, I want to extend our deepest sympathies to those who have been affected by this significant event,” Homendy said. “A search and rescue is still underway, so we are very hopeful. And again our thoughts are with the families and their loved ones.”
Before 1 p.m. ET, President Joe Biden spoke to reporters about the “terrible incident” in Baltimore this morning. Biden, who served in the Senate representing Delaware for 36 years, mentioned that he’s crossed the Key Bridge “many, many times” before.
He confirmed what officials said earlier today, that about eight people were affected by the Baltimore bridge collapse and six of them are still missing.
Biden stated that he’s instructing his team to do everything possible to reopen the port and reconstruct the bridge.
Biden also mentioned that ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore has been stopped until further notice.
Over a day after the Dali cargo ship hit Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, authorities are still looking for the six missing people from the crash. Cold water and rough waves are making it hard for divers to locate the bodies of those missing, who are believed to have died.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore told CNN on Wednesday that there’s no specific timeline yet for when ships can enter or leave the channel into the Port of Baltimore after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed. However, it’s a top priority. The Baltimore bridge collapse is blocking a crucial channel into the busy port, affecting many workers. Moore mentioned around 15,000 workers are directly affected, and roughly 140,000 are indirectly impacted.