A ship rammed a bridge pillar in the American city of Baltimore. A highway bridge more than two kilometers long collapsed. Several people are missing.03/26/2024 | 1:34 minutes
The four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland. The reason was a cargo ship colliding with one of the bridge pillars. Several cars fell into the depths – according to the fire department, they are looking for people who are probably in the water.
Baltimore Fire Department Chief James Wallace said two people were pulled from the water after the collapse. One was “seriously injured.” They are looking for at least six more people, but the number of missing people could still rise. There were initially no reports of any deaths.
According to the ship movement tracker vesselfinder.com, it was the 300-meter-long container ship “Dali” that collided with the bridge. It was built in 2015, flew the Singapore flag and was apparently on its way to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.
Infographic, Baltimore
Source: ZDF
Concern for victims and rescuers
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld called the incident a “catastrophic collapse” at a news conference. There were workers on the bridge at night making concrete repairs. But it is not known how many people were there when virtually the entire overwater portion of the bridge, which is just over 2.5 kilometers long and opened in 1977, collapsed.
In addition to the fire department, rescue workers from the US Coast Guard and a diving team are on duty to rescue any survivors from the Patapsco River. The outside temperature feels like minus one degree Celsius or less, the water is certainly colder, explained Cartwright. “This can pose a concern and risk to our divers.”
“Dali”: Change of course shortly before collision
Data from ship movement tracker MarineTraffic shows how the “Dali” left the port of Baltimore at 12:30 a.m. local time and then headed towards the Chesapeake Bay. Shortly before the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the container ship changed course and crashed into the bridge pier at around 1:29 a.m.
MarineTraffic video shows the journey of the “Dali”
One click for data protection
Only when you click here will images and other data from Twitter be reloaded. Your IP address will be transmitted to external Twitter servers. You can find out more about the data protection of this social media provider on the Twitter website. To make your future visits easier, we store your consent in the privacy settings. You can revoke your consent at any time in the “My News” area.
According to the crew, there was a problem with the electricity on the ship. This was confirmed by the Governor of the US state of Maryland, Wes Moore, in a press conference. Shortly before the collision, the crew of the freighter is said to have made an emergency call. This enabled authorities to limit road traffic on the bridge, added Moore.
Governor: No evidence of terrorism
The governor also said there was no evidence of a terrorist attack.
The preliminary investigation indicates an accident. We have found no solid evidence of a terrorist attack.
Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland
A representative of the Federal Police FBI made a similar statement.
The collision of the “Dali” with the bridge and the collapse in the video.03/26/2024 | 0:38 minutes
Several cars apparently fell into the river
The Maryland State Transportation Authority said access to the Port of Baltimore would be blocked by the collision until the debris was cleared.
Emergency calls were received around 1:30 a.m. (local time), fire department spokesman Kevin Cartwright told the AP news agency. Several vehicles were said to have been on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a semi-trailer truck. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” Cartwright said.
State of emergency declared
The governor of Maryland has declared a state of emergency in the US state. His office is in close contact with US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of Baltimore, the board of directors of the district of the same name and the rescue workers, said Moore in a statement published on Platform X on Tuesday.
Maryland Governor’s Post on X
One click for data protection
Only when you click here will images and other data from Twitter be reloaded. Your IP address will be transmitted to external Twitter servers. You can find out more about the data protection of this social media provider on the Twitter website. To make your future visits easier, we store your consent in the privacy settings. You can revoke your consent at any time in the “My News” area.
We are working together across teams so that we can quickly request help from the US government.
US President Biden is constantly informed
US President Joe Biden was also informed about the bridge collapse and the rescue operation on site. The White House announced on Tuesday morning (local time) that he would continue to be kept up to date. Biden wants to travel to the state of North Carolina later, where, among other things, campaign events are planned. It is unclear whether he will stick to the plans.
According to the owner, the crew of the “Dali” was uninjured
According to the owner, the charter company Synergy Marine Group from Singapore, the crew of the “Dali” – including two pilots – is uninjured. There were no injuries on the ship, it said in a statement available to the New York Times on Tuesday morning (local time). The owners confirmed the incident.
The Danish shipping company Maersk had chartered the “Dali”, which was scheduled to leave the port of Baltimore for Colombo early on Tuesday morning. She was scheduled to arrive there on April 22nd. “We are appalled by what happened in Baltimore,” said Maersk. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected.”
Source: Reuters, AP, dpa, AFP