In the middle of the night, a dispatcher issued a 12-second warning over the radio about a massive cargo ship losing its steering capabilities and heading toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Around 90 seconds later, police officers reported stopping vehicle traffic over the Baltimore bridge in both directions. One officer mentioned planning to drive onto the bridge to alert a construction crew.
However, it was too late. The vessel, powerless and carrying huge containers, collided with a support pillar.
A frantic officer exclaimed, 'The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever, everybody…the whole bridge just collapsed.'
The shipping vessel Dali crashed into the pillar around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, causing a long section of the bridge to crumple into the Patapsco River. The bridge is a vital link in the region’s transport networks, and its collapse is expected to cause traffic disruptions and impact a crucial shipping port.
Eight people went into the water, with two survivors and six missing and presumed dead. The missing individuals were part of a construction crew working on the bridge, filling potholes. The search for their bodies was set to resume Wednesday morning.
Among the missing were individuals from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, including Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandova from Honduras.
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WJLA via AP
Federal and state officials stated that the crash seemed to be an accident. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, and ship traffic entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore was suspended indefinitely.
Capt. Michael Burns Jr. of the Maritime Center for Responsible Energy described bringing a ship into or out of ports in restricted waters with limited room to maneuver as one of the most technically challenging tasks. He added that a loss of power in restricted waters is a particularly scary situation, as the ship becomes at the mercy of the wind and the current.
He further explained that when a ship loses propulsion and steering, it becomes at the mercy of the wind and the current, leading to a high-risk situation.
Video footage showed the ship moving at about 9 mph (15 kph) toward the 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) bridge. Despite traffic still moving across the span, the crash caused the span to break and fall into the water within seconds, with jagged remnants jutting up from the water in daylight.
Police mentioned that apart from the workers, there is no evidence of anyone else going into the water, although they had not ruled out the possibility.
A senior executive at Brawner Builders, the company employing the crew, stated that the workers were in the middle of the bridge when it collapsed.
Jeffrey Pritzker, the executive vice president of the company, expressed surprise at the unforeseen event. He emphasized the company's commitment to safety with the use of cones, signs, lights, barriers, and flaggers.
Jesus Campos, who works for Brawner Builders and knows some of the crew members, said he was informed that they were taking a break and some were sitting in their trucks.
“About a month ago, I was there, and I know how it feels when the trailers go by,” Campos said. “Imagine knowing that they are falling. It's really tough. One wouldn't know what to do.”
Father Ako Walker, a Catholic priest at Sacred Heart of Jesus, mentioned at a vigil that he spent time with the families of the missing workers as they waited for updates about their loved ones.
“You can see the pain clearly visible on their faces,” Walker said.
Two people were rescued from the water. One person received treatment at a hospital and was discharged hours later.
The incident occurred long before the busy morning traffic on the bridge, which was used by 12 million vehicles last year.
Between 1960 and 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collisions, according to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.
The collapse on Tuesday is expected to cause significant disruptions along the East Coast for months, possibly longer, leading to the closure of shipping traffic at the Port of Baltimore, a major hub.
Paul Wiedefeld, the state’s transportation secretary, stated that vessel traffic in and out of the port will be halted until further notice, although the facility was still accessible to trucks.
“The loss of this bridge will have a devastating impact on the entire area, as well as the entire East Coast,” state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling said.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that it is too early to provide a timeframe for clearing the channel, which is about 50 feet (15 meters) deep, while President Joe Biden mentioned that he plans to visit Baltimore soon and anticipates that the federal government will cover the entire cost of reconstruction.
Synergy Marine Group, the company that manages the ship, reported that the impact occurred while the ship was under the guidance of one or more local pilots, who are specialists in safely navigating vessels in and out of ports. Synergy stated in a Wednesday announcement that one crew member was treated at a hospital for a minor injury.
The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and Danish shipping company Maersk stated that they had chartered the vessel.
The Dali, which is 985 feet (300 meters) long, was traveling from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and was flying a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic.
The vessel also passed inspections by foreign port authorities in June and September 2023. The June 2023 inspection revealed a faulty fuel pressure monitor gauge, which was fixed before the vessel left the port, as stated by Singapore’s port authority in a Wednesday announcement.
Donald Heinbuch, a retired chief from Baltimore’s fire department, mentioned that he was jolted awake by a deep rumbling that shook his house for several seconds and “felt like an earthquake.”
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AP Photo/Steve Helber
He drove to the river and couldn’t believe what he saw: “The ship was there, and the bridge was in the water, like it was blown up.”
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott described the event as an extremely sad and shocking event. Gov. Moore expressed deep sadness for the victims and their families, and also praised the quick reaction of the first responders.
“Basically, by preventing cars from going over the bridge, these individuals are heroes,” Moore stated. “They rescued lives last night.”
