Credit: ‘Today’ Show
Update: 6 Construction Workers Presumed Dead After Baltimore Bridge Collapse + 2 Others Rescued
Update (March 27, 2024): Six workers who were at the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed are presumed dead, officials said on Tuesday (March 26).
Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath, the commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District stated during a press conference,
“Based on the length of time that we’ve gone in the search, the extensive search efforts that we put into it, the water temperature at this point, we do not believe that we will find any of these individuals still alive.”
The Coast Guard suspended its search around 7: 30 p.m., Gilreath added, per multiple outlets.
He continued,
“The Coast Guard is not going away. None of our partners are going away, but we are just going to transition to a different phase.”
The Maryland Police Department Secretary Colonel Roland Butler Jr. said that the “conditions” are now “dangerous” for the search crew so surface ships would be on the water through the night. Divers were expected to resume their search at 6 a.m. Wednesday (March 27). Butler noted that their attempt to find the missing workers is still a priority.
“We’re going to do everything in our power to help these families find closure.”
Shortly after the collapse, two people were quickly rescued from the water by first responders. However, the remaining six are still missing.
Original Story (March 26, 2024): Rescuers are searching for at least six victims in the water after a container ship crashed into a bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse.
During a press conference, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said eight people were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge at the time of the collapse. He added rescuers saved two of those eight people from the water. One of them wasn’t hurt, but the other was in “very serious condition.” Nevertheless, Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace reminds people it’s still an “active search and rescue” situation, so the number of missing people could change.
@toby_jg02 Cargo ship collapses Francis Scott Key Bridge My buddy and I were at fort armistead park as we look towards the bridge and see what I thought was cargo falling off the ship, unfortunately it was much more than that. I already had my phone out so I started recording almost instantly. Sadly there was also active construction happening on the bridge, along with vehicles passing through. My heart goes out to the families of the people we lost tonight. #keybridge
Early Tuesday morning (March 26), a container ship flying under a Singapore flag crashed into the Francis Scott Key bridge, causing it to snap and plunge into the Patapsco River below within seconds. Then, the container ship Dali caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it, but it did not sink. The ship was reportedly headed through Baltimore to its final destination, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Synergy Marine Group, which owns and manages the ship, released a statement. It noted that the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge while in control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help navigate vessels safely into ports.
It said all crew members, including the two pilots on board, were accounted for, and there were no reports of any injuries.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called it “an unthinkable tragedy,” adding,
“Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of an active movie.”
Meanwhile, Maryland Governor Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency, saying in a statement,
“We are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration. We are thankful for the brave men and women who are carrying out efforts to rescue those involved and pray for everyone’s safety.”
He also said the ship’s crew issued a “mayday” call before it collided with the bridge, which helped officials “stop the flow of traffic so more cars were not up on the bridge.”
According to US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, there are “no indications” that the container ship collision was intentional.
He wrote on X,
“We are closely monitoring the tragic situation unfolding as a result of a containership colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Our thoughts are with families of the missing and injured.”
Alejandro Mayorkas also noted that the US Coast Guard, which ismanaged by the Department of Homeland Security, was on the scene “along with our state and local partners and is actively involved in search and rescue operations.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a team to investigate the incident.
The FBI also stated it joined the investigation into the cause of the collision. As of right now, it’s still unclear what made the cargo ship to crash into the bridge.
Before it collapsed on Tuesday (March 26), the Francis Scott Key Bridge spanned the Patapsco River. The river leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for shipping on the east coast. The bridge, which opened in 1977, is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
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