The ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and, according to reports, several vehicles and as many as 20 people were sent plunging into the river below.
The container ship that rammed a bridge in US’ Baltimore, causing it to collapse almost entirely and sending cars and people plunging into the river below, was manned entirely by a crew of Indians. This was confirmed by shipping company Maersk, which had chartered the Singapore-flagged container ship, named Dali.
According to a report by news agency AFP, several vehicles and nearly 20 people are believed to have fallen into the Patapsco River after the 300-metre-long vessel crashed into one of the legs of the bridge. The ship had a crew of 22 members, all of whom were Indian. Quoting the Synergy Marine Group, which manages the Dali, a report said all crew members had been accounted for and none of them were injured.
Footage showed lights going out on the ship just before it rammed a leg of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a portion of which collapsed on the vessel itself.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland which crosses the Patapsco River has reportedly Collapsed within the last few minutes after being Struck by a Large Container Ship; a Mass Casualty Incident has been Declared with over a Dozen Cars and many Individuals said to… pic.twitter.com/SsPMU8Mjph
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 26, 2024
Maryland’s governor said the ship, which was moving at a “rapid” eight knots (nine miles per hour), issued a Mayday call moments before it collided with the pillar of the bridge and that quick thinking by authorities after that allowed officials to stop vehicles from going onto the bridge.
“We’re thankful that between the Mayday and the collapse that we had officials who were able to begin to stop the flow of traffic,” Mr Moore said, according to AFP.