Eight individuals from a construction crew fixing potholes on the bridge fell into the water, two of whom survived. Unfortunately, six people are currently unaccounted.
Washington: Foreseeing the alertness of 22 Indian crew members who were onboard the ‘Dali’, the ship which Collided with a bridge in Baltimore, US President Joe Biden Commended the quick action of signalling ‘Mayday’ by Indian crew members, which help in prevention of more causalities in the unfortunate incident.
Commendation From White House
“The personnel onboard the ship were able to notify the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of their vessel. As a result, local officials were able to stop the bridge to traffic before it was struck, which certainly saved lives,” Biden stated during his remarks at the White House.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore also stated that the crew’s prompt alert had saved lives.
“We can confirm that the crew contacted authorities about a power outage. These individuals are heroes. We are grateful that between the Mayday and the collapse, officials were able to begin to halt the flow of cars. These individuals are heroes. Moore told AFP: “They saved lives last night.”
Key Details Of Ship Collision
Dali, a container ship, crashed with a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore, Maryland, around 1:30 a.m. local time on March 26. The accident caused substantial damage, and the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River. However, all traffic on the bridge was stopped in time when the vessel’s 22 crew sent a ‘mayday’ call to notify local authorities that they had lost power.
The container ship’s “mayday” call before the collision triggered an immediate response from authorities, resulting in the evacuation of everyone on the bridge. This prompt response is credited with potentially saving lives.
Potential Causalities
Six men of a bridge construction crew who were working at night are missing and feared dead. Attempts to locate their bodies are ongoing.
The Synergy Marine Group reports that all 22 crew members, including the two pilots, are safe.
Eight individuals from a construction crew fixing potholes on the bridge fell into the water, two of whom survived. Unfortunately, six people are currently unaccounted. Efforts to locate them will resume Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press.
According to diplomatic sources, the missing include people from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. According to the Associated Press, one of the identified persons is Honduran citizen Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandova.
Cause Of Collision
While the specific cause of the accident has still to be discovered, Moore acknowledged that the cargo ship had lost power prior to the incident.
Both federal and state authorities have indicated that the incident was most likely an accident. The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an inquiry, which has resulted in an indefinite halt of ship traffic entering and departing the Port of Baltimore.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge is a vital transportation corridor that handles 31,000 cars per day, or 11.3 million vehicles per year. The route has been suspended, affecting both local and international shipping activities.