Cargo Ship Collides with Bridge in US, Six Missing
Posted by admin on 2024-03-29 |
·
Six
individuals are missing and presumed dead following a container ship collision
with Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. The Coast Guard has ceased search operations
and initiated recovery efforts.
·
A US
federal government agency said the vessel "lost propulsion" as it was
leaving the port. Officials indicated that the ship encountered
a power problem and sent out a distress call just moments before the collision
occurred.
·
US
President Joe Biden said the government will pay the full cost to rebuild the
Bridge.
In the early hours of
Tuesday morning, tragedy struck in US City of Baltimore, Maryland, as a cargo
ship lost power and collided with the Francis Scott Bridge, causing it to
collapse. The incident resulted in a devastating accident, leaving six
individuals unaccounted for.
Overview and Background
The incident occurred
while the six individuals-workers- were engaged in masonry and pothole repairs
on the bridge under construction. The collision ensued when the 985-foot-long
ship struck the bridge, which stands 185 feet above the Patapsco River at its
highest point, known as the Patapsco River bridge or Francis Scott Bridge.
The ship struck a
support column of the 47-year-old bridge at 01:30, leading to its collapse.
Responsible Ship and Crew Safety
Maersk, the shipping
company, confirmed that the Singapore-flagged container ship named 'Dali' was
responsible for the collision. Synergy Marine Group stated that the ship was
manned by a crew of 22 members, all of them Indians, along with two Baltimore
locals, serving as port pilots. Their safety was confirmed.
A US federal
government agency said the vessel "lost propulsion" as it was leaving
the port.
Search and Rescue Operation
The collapsed bridge,
spanning more than 2.6km (1.6 miles), trapped several vehicles during the
incident. Boats and helicopters were deployed as part of a massive search and
rescue operation to locate the missing individuals. Two people were rescued
from the water, one of whom was in serious condition.
Due to increasingly
hazardous conditions in the darkened waters littered with wreckage, active
search-and-rescue operations were suspended about 18 hours after the accident,
according to U.S. Coast Guard and Maryland State Police officials. The Coast
Guard transitioned to a recovery effort.
On Tuesday afternoon,
Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders who happened to
employ these workers, stated that they were presumed dead considering how deep
is water and how much time has passed since the crash.
US President’s Response
President Joe Biden
expressed his intention to visit Baltimore promptly, emphasizing the priority
of search and rescue efforts. He made a commitment to get all necessary
resources up and running again at sea port so as well as reconstructing this
bridge quickly thus leaving federal government with the overall cost pending
congressional approval; he referred this collapse as an accidental one
requiring full government assistance.
