BALTIMORE. A container ship collided with a significant bridge in Baltimore in the early hours of Tuesday morning, resulting in its catastrophic collapse into Patapsco River below below. The chilling waters swallowed several vehicles, prompting a frantic search for survivors by rescue teams.
Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace reported that two individuals were successfully rescued from the waters beneath the Francis Scott Key Bridge, with one of them in a serious condition. Wallace indicated that authorities were potentially seeking upwards of seven individuals, though this number remained subject to change. However, it remained uncertain whether the two rescued individuals were among those seven.
The incident unfolded as the ship, reportedly experiencing a loss of propulsion, attempted to depart the port, according to an unclassified U.S. intelligence report cited by ABC News.
“This is a mass-casualty, multi-agency event,” declared Kevin Cartwright, spokesperson for the Baltimore City Fire Department. “This operation is going to extend for many days.”
The sheer scale of the disaster remained nebulous, with Baltimore officials estimating that at least seven vehicles had plunged into the river, though an exact count eluded them. Cartwright speculated that up to 20 individuals, along with numerous vehicles, might be submerged in the murky depths.
Amidst the wreckage and turmoil, a chilling video captured the ship’s collision with the bridge, illuminating the darkness with a fiery explosion as vehicles tumbled into the abyss. This grim spectacle harkened back to the haunting memory of the 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, which claimed 13 lives.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore swiftly declared a state of emergency to facilitate the deployment of federal resources, while reassurances were made that there were no indications of terrorism, as affirmed by Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley.
In the aftermath, traffic ground to a halt at the Port of Baltimore, casting a shadow over its status as the busiest U.S. port for car shipments. The ramifications extended beyond the immediate tragedy, as uncertainties loomed over the port’s operations and the condition of other vessels.
The vessel responsible for the calamity, identified as the Dali, bore a Singaporean flag and was chartered by the shipping giant Maersk at the time of the incident. Despite the devastation, there were no reports of injuries among the ship’s crew, as confirmed by Synergy Marine Corp, its manager.
As investigations into the incident unfolded, attention turned to the enduring significance of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a testament to the nation’s history, named after the author of the Star Spangled Banner and standing as a symbol of resilience since its opening in 1977.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
