A newly released recording shows first responders making a tense, last-ditch effort to stop traffic on both sides of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore moments before it collapsed.
Six construction workers are presumed dead after a cargo ship hit one of the support columns of the 1.6-mile-long building on Tuesday morning.
The 985-foot-long vessel lost power at the start of its 27-day journey from the Port of Baltimore to Sri Lanka, and the crew sent out a distress call.
The Maryland Transportation Authority received the alert and issued a 12-second warning via radio to transportation officials. Within 90 seconds, police were able to stop traffic in both directions on the bridge.
Newly released dispatch calls document how their efforts to coordinate the response played out.
“All traffic on the base bridge is suspended,” a Maryland Transportation Authority official said.
“There is a ship approaching but has lost its direction. We must stop all traffic until the situation is under control.
“Make sure there’s no one on the bridge right now. There’s a crew up there… you might want to notify the foreman and see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily.”
Another voice said he was driving onto the bridge to “catch the workers.”
But after a while, one man said: “The whole bridge collapsed. Start with anyone…everyone. The whole bridge collapsed.”
Despite their efforts, traffic was still flowing on the bridge when the Singapore-flagged Dali crashed at around 1.30am local time (5.30am GMT).
Some vehicles appeared to escape disaster for a few seconds.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore praised the first responders as “heroes” and told reporters their actions “saved lives.”
“Literally, those people who can stop a car from going over a bridge are heroes,” he said. “They saved lives last night.”
The impact of the boat caused a large span of the bridge – a major link in the region’s transportation network – to collapse within seconds and flow into the Patapsco River.
At least eight people fell into the water. Two of them were rescued, but six others – part of a construction crew that was filling potholes on the bridge – are still missing and presumed dead.
Crews have now turned to searching for their bodies in the 50-foot-deep waters surrounding the twisted ruins.
The victims included immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, according to the Mexican consulate in Washington.
Casa, a nonprofit that serves Baltimore’s immigrant community, has identified the father of three children missing from El Salvador as Miguel Luna.
this Associated Press It was also reported that one of the men, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, was from Honduras.
A senior executive with Brawner Builders, the company that hired the crews, said they were working in the middle of the bridge when it collapsed.
“This was completely unexpected,” said Jeffrey Pritzker, the company’s executive vice president.
“We don’t know what else to say. We take great pride in safety, we have cones, signs, lights, barriers and flags.”
National Transportation Safety Board investigators found the Daly’s data recorder after boarding the ship late Tuesday.
NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy told reporters the data will provide investigators with a timeline of events that occurred as early as Wednesday.
She said their investigation will include taking photos of the vessel and bridge, accessing electronic logs and interviewing first responders.
Ms. Homedy added that the agency would also examine whether contaminated fuel played a role in the ship’s blackout.
The safety record of the ship, owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, has come under scrutiny following the incident.
In 2016, the company was involved in an incident at the Belgian port of Antwerp when it crashed into a quay while trying to leave a North Sea container terminal.
An inspection in Chile in 2023 found defects in “propulsion and auxiliary machinery,” according to the Equasis public website, which provides ship information.
But the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement that the ship passed two foreign port inspections in June and September 2023.
The ship said that following an inspection in June 2023, the faulty fuel pressure gauge was corrected before the ship left port.
Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship, said the accident occurred while the ship was under the control of one or more pilots, who are local experts who help guide ships safely in and out of port.
The company said all 22 Indian crew members were missing. One of them was treated in hospital for minor injuries.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the closure of the Baltimore port will have “significant and lasting impacts on supply chains.”
The Port of Baltimore handles more automobile freight than any other port in the United States — by 2022, it will handle more than 750,000 vehicles, as well as containerized and bulk cargo ranging from sugar to coal, according to port data.
The bridge’s collapse also disrupted Baltimore roadways, forcing motorists to two other congested port crossings, creating potentially lengthy daily commutes and regional traffic detours for months and years to come.
Named for the author of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the bridge carries about 31,000 vehicles across the water every day and is a major route for motorists between New York and Washington to avoid downtown Baltimore. It opened in 1977.
Follow us on Google news ,Twitter , and Join Whatsapp Group of thelocalreport.in
