On the morning of 26 March 2024, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after a large container ship named the Dali, flying the Singapore flag, struck it.
The 289-meter vessel reportedly lost power and collided with one of the bridge’s support columns, causing the structure to buckle and crash into the Patapsco River below.
This collapse resulted in vehicles and people plunging into the river.
As of this writing, authorities are still searching for six construction workers who were on the bridge at the time and are now presumed dead.
Here’s what is known about the Baltimore bridge collapse so far.
Everything About the Baltimore Bridge Collapse That is Known So Far
At approximately 1:35 a.m. on 26 March 2024, local time in Baltimore, Maryland (which will be 1:35 p.m. in Singapore), the Singapore-flagged container ship collided with the 2.57 km-long bridge.
Opened in 1977, the bridge is a steel arch continuous truss structure spanning the lower Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor, carrying Maryland Route 695 between Hawkins Point (a neighborhood of Baltimore) and Dundalk.
It ranks as the third longest span of any continuous truss in the world and carried an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually.
A live video posted on YouTube captured the bridge’s collapse, and several other videos appeared on X.
Authorities have accounted for the Dali’s crew, with no reported injuries among them. At the time of the collapse, multiple vehicles were on the bridge, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.
Eight people, all part of a construction crew working on pothole repairs, were on the bridge when it gave way.
Six are still missing, while two were rescued from the Patapsco River, one in critical condition.
Underwater drones are aiding the recovery efforts to locate submerged vehicles.
However, search and rescue operations were suspended on Tuesday evening due to dangerous water conditions, including shifting currents, low visibility, and sharp metal debris.
Divers are set to begin recovery operations on Wednesday morning (Wednesday night in Singapore time) to attempt locating the missing workers and any vehicles that entered the river.
An unclassified US intelligence report indicates that the ship “lost propulsion” while departing the port, and its crew notified Maryland officials of losing control.
The ship issued a Mayday call moments before the collision, a crucial action that saved lives by allowing officials to halt some road traffic.
In Singapore, the Office of Marine Safety and the National Transportation Safety Board have reached out to the US Coast Guard offering assistance.
Furthermore, investigators from Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau and MPA are en route to Baltimore to aid in the investigation.