BALTIMORE — A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing a section of the bridge to collapse and rescuers to launch a massive search for survivors.
The search and rescue mission was suspended 18 hours later, with at least six construction workers who had been on the bridge at the time of collapse still unaccounted for. Officials say due to the time lapsed and conditions of the water, it is unlikely the workers will be found alive. Two people were rescued, and one was hospitalized in critical condition.
As of 2:10 p.m. Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said police dive teams in Baltimore told her conditions have been "unsafe for divers to enter" due to bridge debris found in the water.
"Underwater drones have shown an abundance of twisted metal and debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, making it unsafe for divers to enter so far," Alsobrooks said. "Our team continues to standby."
The operators of the "Dali" cargo ship issued a mayday call that the vessel had lost power moments before the crash, but the ship still headed toward the span at “a very, very rapid speed," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
The 985-foot-long vessel struck one of the 1.6-mile bridge’s supports, causing the span to break and fall into the water within seconds. The ship caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.
“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,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy."
Multiple vehicles also fell into the water, although authorities don't think anyone was inside them. Authorities said sonar had detected cars in the water, which is about 50 feet deep. The water temperature was about 47 degrees before dawn Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Tuesday that a mayday call from the ship allowed officials to limit traffic on the bridge before the crash.
A preliminary investigation suggests that the crash was an accident, and that there’s no credible evidence of a terrorist attack, Moore, a Democrat, said at a news conference near the collapsed bridge.
“This morning, our state is in shock,” he said. “We are Maryland tough and we are Baltimore strong,” Moore said. “So in the face of heartbreak, we come together.”
Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck. The bridge came down in the middle of night when traffic would be lighter than during the day when thousands of cars traverse the span.
Cartwright called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event,” though he didn't know at the time how many people were affected.
Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship, said it had been in the control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help navigate vessels safely into ports.
The ship was moving at 8 knots, which is roughly 9 mph, when it struck the span, the governor said.
An inspection of the Dali last June at a port in Chile identified a problem with the ship’s “propulsion and auxiliary machinery,” according to Equasis, a shipping information system. The deficiency involved gauges and thermometers, but the website’s online records didn’t elaborate.
The most recent inspection listed for the Dali was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York on Sept. 13, 2023. The “standard examination” didn’t identify any deficiencies, according to the Equasis data.
As the sun rose Tuesday, jagged remnants of the bridge were illuminated jutting up from the waters surface. The on-ramp ended abruptly where the span once began.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday, "This is no ordinary bridge. This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure. It has been part of the skyline of this region longer than many of us have been alive."
Cartwright said that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge, which spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to a busy harbor. The river leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for shipping on the East Coast. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said all vessel traffic into and out of the port would be suspended until further notice, though the facility was still open to trucks.
The president said that he plans to travel to Baltimore “as quickly as I can” and that he expects the federal government to pick up the entire cost of rebuilding the bridge.
President Joe Biden said the Army Corps of Engineers is working to clear the shipping channel and reopen the Port of Baltimore to shipping traffic as quickly as possible.
"It handled a record amount of cargo last year. It's the top port in America for both imports and exports of automobiles and light trucks. Around 850,000 vehicles go through that port every single year, and we're going to get it up and running again as soon as possible — 15,000 jobs depend on it," Biden said.
"I've directed my administration to ensure every federal resource is available to assist search and rescue efforts and respond to this terrible incident," the president said.
The collapse, however, is not likely to have a big effect on worldwide trade because Baltimore is not a major port for container vessels, but the port’s facilities are more important when it comes to goods such as farm equipment and autos, said Judah Levine, head of research for global freight booking platform Freightos.
Live data from ship-tracking service Marine Traffic shows at least four cargo ships were docked at Baltimore Harbor as of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, including a Swedish vehicle carrier with a capacity of up to 7,800 vehicles. Another 12 vessels destined for Baltimore Harbor were anchored in Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Kent Island.
The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag, according to data from Marine Traffic. The container ship is about 985 feet long and about 157 feet wide, according to the website.
According to the ship-tracking service VesselFinder, the Dali was previously involved in a collision with a pier in Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016 that cause significant damage to the ship. No injuries were reported in connection with that collision.
Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the vessel, which was carrying its customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were on board. The collapse caused Maersk share at the Nasdaq Copenhagen to plummet 2% in early Tuesday trading.
Wiedefeld said drivers should avoid Interstate 695 southeast corridor and use I-95 and I-895 as alternate routes. Traffic currently on I-695 is being diverted southbound at Exit 43 and northbound at Exit 2. Wiedefeld said the port is closed, but it is too early to determine how long it will remain closed.
Neighbors who live in the area reacted with disbelief following the collapse of the bridge.
We spoke with Venetia Barbie, who lives in the Turner Station neighborhood in Dundalk, Maryland. She was awoken by the collapsing bridge. It shook her home, where she lives with her 87-year-old mother.
"I was scared and didn't know what was going on," Barbie said.
She said she's been using the bridge to get to work since 1982 and she was shocked that the collapse happened.
"It's incomprehensible to even believe that the bridge is gone," she said.
As the investigation into the bridge collapse continues, the National Transportation Safety Board is launching a go team to assist.
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