Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
USACE Chief of Engineers Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon views damage of the fallen Frances Scott Key Bridge that collapsed in Baltimore, March 26, 2024.
Recovery efforts resumed Wednesday morning, March 27, at the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore for six people who were unaccounted for and presumed dead after an out-of-control cargo ship slammed into a bridge support in the early morning hours of March 26.
Authorities said eight workers were fixing potholes on the highway bridge when the cargo ship Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, lost power and struck it shortly before 1:30 a.m., causing the bridge to collapse.
Yahoo News reported Tuesday that the repair crew worked for Brawner Builders in Hunt Valley, Md. Two were pulled out alive by the U.S. Coast Guard, and six are now presumed dead. The Coast Guard's mission has now transitioned to one of search and recovery.
Less than 12 hours after the Key Bridge crumpled into the waters of Baltimore's Outer Harbor, leading to the closure of Interstate 695/Baltimore Beltway — one of the East Coast's major freeways — President Biden announced that the federal government would fully pay for its replacement.
Biden cited the importance of Baltimore's port and the toll bridge to the local and regional economy, Maryland Matters reported.
"It's my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge," he said. "I expect Congress to support my effort."
When asked by reporters if the owners of the ship that struck the bridge should pay for any of the costs, Biden replied, "We're not going to wait for that to happen."
The 1.6-mi. bridge, named after the poet who wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner," spans a major thoroughfare of East Coast shipping. It also is the entryway to the Port of Baltimore, the largest port in the United States for specialized cargo like trucks, tractors and trailers.
Maryland transportation officials immediately announced the suspension of all ship traffic in and out of the port.
With the collapse, the harbor north of the bridge has been closed, keeping dozens of other container ships and smaller vessels from reaching both the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean until the structure's debris is removed from the river.
The steel truss bridge first opened 47 years this week and carried I-695 across the Patapsco River connecting Baltimore County to Anne Arundel County. The nearly 11-mi. roadway and bridge project cost $110 million to build at the time, including $60 million for the bridge itself, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA).
The cost to replace the structure is not yet known.
"This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said later on Tuesday. "It has been part of the skyline of this region for longer than many of us had been alive. The path to normalcy will not be easy. It will not be quick. It will not be inexpensive, but we will rebuild together."
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
‘A Tragedy You Could Never Imagine'
Reports came in around 1:40 a.m. Tuesday that a large vessel crashed into a support tower near the central part of the bridge and caught on fire before causing multiple vehicles to fall into the Patapsco River below.
Federal and state officials said the Dali left the port around 1 a.m. heading to Colombo, Sri Lanka, in the Indian Ocean, according to Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder maps and data.
The 985-ft.-long ship weighs 95,000 gross tons, according to officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
A video released Tuesday appears to show the ship losing power before the collision.
"This is a unique circumstance," said Buttigieg. "I do not know of a bridge that has been constructed to withstand a direct impact from a vessel of this size."
According to initial reports at least seven vehicles, including at least one tractor-trailer-sized vehicle, fell into the water, Baltimore City Fire spokesperson Kevin Cartwright told WTOP Radio in Washington, D.C.
"This is a tragedy that you could never imagine," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said during a morning news conference. "Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of an action movie."
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
From Search and Rescue to Search and Recovery
The cargo ship issued a mayday call prior to the bridge strike, giving MDTA police time to halt traffic on both sides of the span.
In his remarks following the accident, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore credited the fast action of authority police, who moved quickly to close the highway in advance of the collision.
"These people are heroes, they saved lives last night," he said.
Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James Wallace told reporters that at least two workers were rescued from the chilly waters that lead to the port earlier in the day.
One individual refused treatment. A second was transported "to a local trauma center" and is in "very serious condition."
Throughout the day, officials stressed the focus remained on finding and rescuing others who were on the bridge. However, changing conditions, water temperatures in the 40s, and the dangers posed to divers working in a dark underwater environment among sharp and potentially unstable debris ended those efforts.
Wednesday morning, though, divers were back in the Patapsco River to resume recovery efforts.
"At this point, we do not know where they are," said Maryland State Police Superintendent Roland Butler Jr. "But we intend to give it our best effort to help these families find closure."
He added that officials believe they are searching for the bodies of six people but could not rule out the possibility that other vehicles tumbled into the river as a result of the bridge collapse.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The Investigation Begins
A team of two dozen investigators from the NTSB arrived in Baltimore just hours after the accident to determine the cause of the accident.
NTSB Board Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters the investigation will include reviews of potential mechanical and human factors that may have contributed to the collision. Investigators also will look at the structural soundness of the bridge.
In addition to U.S investigators, the incident also will be subject to an investigation by regulators from Singapore.
Key Bridge Collapse Likely to Impact Supply Chains
The Francis Scott Key Bridge served as a major artery for commuters and commerce in the Baltimore area.
More than 30,000 vehicles use the bridge daily. The river crossing collected $56 million in tolls in fiscal year 2023.
Due to its collapse, all traffic has been rerouted north to the city's Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels. Some vehicles — taller trucks and vehicles transporting hazardous materials — will have to find other routes, Maryland Matters noted.
But the bridge also was an important route for the transportation of hazardous materials, which are banned from the Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels.
"That is a whole other ball of wax about the impact on transportation and then, extremely importantly, the broader impact of the port and having the front door of the port locked," said state senate president Bill Ferguson, Baltimore City. "It is unbelievably severe for the region's economy."
The collapse of the bridge also hobbles cruise and cargo operations at the Port of Baltimore, which Buttigieg said "does the most vehicle handling of any port. And that's just talking about the vehicle side. You also have container traffic, [and] you have bulk traffic.
"There is no question that this will have a major and protracted impact to supply chains," he continued. "It's too soon to offer estimates on what it will take to clear the channel and reopen the port."
Today's top stories
