Baltimore Bridge Collapse: 6 Workers Missing Presumed Dead As Rescue Operations Suspended — Top Points

All six workmen who went missing after the massive cargo ship collided with the Baltimore bridge are presumed dead, and rescue operations will be halted until Wednesday morning, news agency AP reported citing officials. The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore on Tuesday.

Dali, a Singapore-flagged container vessel bound for Sri Lanka, collided with a support tower of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the mouth of the Patapsco River at around 1:30 am (0530 GMT), as per an AP report. A trestled section of the 1.6-mile (2.57-kilometer) bridge almost immediately collapsed into the icy water, dumping vehicles and people into the river.

#WATCH | Drone visuals of the vessel and the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

A 948-foot container ship smashed into a four-lane bridge in the U.S. port of Baltimore, causing it to collapse.

(Source: NTSB) pic.twitter.com/WMuw2bR3uC

— ANI (@ANI) March 27, 2024

Top Points: 

• The US Coast Guard and Maryland State Police officials told news agency Reuters that based on the frigid temperature of the water and the length of time that had elapsed since the bridge came down there was little if any chance that the six missing could be found alive.
• Rescuers brought two survivors to safety, one of whom was hospitalised. However, active search-and-rescue operations were suspended about 18 hours after the tragedy, according to the Reuters report.
• The eight people were on a work crew filling potholes on the bridge’s road surface when the accident occurred, it said.
• As per the report, the ship reported a power outage before impact, allowing officials to halt traffic on the bridge before it collapsed.
• President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he will be visiting Baltimore “as soon as possible” and that the federal government will cover the entire cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed earlier in the day after a container ship lost power and collided with it.
• “We’re going to rebuild that port together,” Biden said in a brief statement from the White House shortly before leaving for North Carolina. According to an AP report, The president expects lawmakers on Capitol Hill to support his bid to ensure the US government pays for rebuilding the bridge.
• The Indian Embassy in Washington expressed condolences over the tragic accident. In an X post, the Embassy said, “Our heartfelt condolences to all affected by the unfortunate accident at the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore”.
• The Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977 and is one of the world’s longest truss bridges. It is named after the author of the US national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”. 
• The collapse is almost certain to cause a logistical nightmare along the East Coast for months, if not years, by shutting down ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore and clogging cargo and commuter routes.
• According to a 2018 report from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, 35 major bridge collapses occurred worldwide between 1960 and 2015 as a result of ship or barge collisions, killing 342 people in total. Eighteen of the collapses occurred in the United States.