In the early hours of Tuesday, a bridge in Baltimore collapsed, resembling a fragile house of cards. The collapse occurred when a cargo ship collided with the bridge, tragically claiming the lives of six individuals who plunged into the murky depths below.
This devastating incident also resulted in the closure of one of the nation’s busiest ports.
As the day progressed, the search-and-rescue operations for the six workers who were on the bridge during the collapse shifted towards a recovery mission, as stated by Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon N. Gilreath.
“We do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive,” he said, noting the water temperature and the amount of time that had passed since the ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused it to collapse around 1:30 a.m.
Jeffrey Pritzker, the executive vice president of Brawner Builders, previously stated that there was one survivor, although their identities were not disclosed.
On Tuesday, while an extensive search was still underway, Maryland Governor Wes Moore remained optimistic about the possibility of finding the missing individuals. However, he expressed deep sorrow when the authorities decided to halt the active search for survivors.
“Our heart goes out to the families,” he said after the active search was suspended. “I can’t imagine how painful today has been for these families, how painful these hours have been for these families.”
It was devastating news for the families of the missing individuals, who had gathered at a Royal Farms convenience store near the bridge entrance, anxiously awaiting any updates.
The tragic sequence of events unfolded on Tuesday morning when the cargo ship Dali reported a power loss and sent out a distress signal just moments before colliding with bridge support at a speed of 8 knots, equivalent to about 9 mph.
In response, Moore declared a state of emergency as rescue teams, equipped with sonar technology, located at least five submerged vehicles in the icy 50-foot-deep water, including three cars, a cement truck, and another unidentified vehicle.
Fortunately, authorities confirmed that there were no occupants inside the vehicles, leading investigators to determine that the incident was a tragic accident and not an intentional act of terrorism.