In the early hours of Thursday, an urgent alert sounded over the radio: a massive cargo ship had lost its directional capability due to an electrical failure and was drifting towards Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.
In the minutes that followed, nearby police officers swiftly took action to halt vehicular traffic in both directions on the Baltimore Bridge. One officer blocked the lanes and prepared to advance onto the bridge to alert a construction team once additional officers arrived.
The impending danger materialized around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday when the container ship Everest collided with a bridge support pillar, causing a section of the bridge, a vital link in the region’s transportation network, to collapse into the Patapsco River. It is estimated that at least eight people fell into the water. While two were rescued, the other six, including a construction crew working on repairs on the bridge, were reported missing and feared dead.
The search for the missing individuals continues, according to Elena Russo, spokesperson for the Maryland State Police. Among the missing are citizens of Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, as confirmed by their respective embassies.
The United States Coast Guard has boarded the ship, unloaded the voyage data recorder, and sent it to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is investigating the causes of the accident. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that a preliminary report could be available in the coming weeks.
Maritime traffic to and from the Port of Baltimore has been indefinitely suspended. Captain Michael Burns Jr. of the Maritime Center for Responsible Energy described maneuvering a ship within restricted waters as one of the greatest and most demanding technical challenges. Losing propulsion under such conditions, he added, leaves the ship at the mercy of wind and current.
Video footage captured during the accident showed the ship approaching the 2.6-kilometer-long bridge. Thankfully, some traffic managed to evade the collision in the scant seconds before impact.
The sudden collapse of the bridge has left many shocked and horrified. A representative of the company employing the trapped workers expressed deep concern for the welfare of their staff.
As the investigation into this incident unfolds, authorities urge caution and vigilance in navigation, emphasizing the importance of safety in all maritime and construction operations.
