https://youtu.be/JebyNOvJmCM
Baltimore’s
Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
Large portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore
fell into the Patapsco River when it collapsed on Tuesday at 1:40 a.m. Eastern
time following a collision with a cargo ship.
"Mass casualty event" is how the Baltimore Fire Department has
described the tragedy. While searching for multiple individuals, rescuers
discovered automobiles submerged in the water.
When the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed on
Tuesday at 1:40 a.m. Eastern time after colliding with a cargo ship, a large
piece of it plunged into the Patapsco River.
The Baltimore Fire Department has referred to the incident as a "mass
casualty event." Rescuers were looking for several people when they came
across cars that were underwater.
What do we know about casualties from the Key Bridge
collapse?
After a container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key
Bridge in Baltimore early on Tuesday, it partially collapsed
Authorities in Baltimore said that rescue operations were still in progress on
Tuesday morning and that they were considering the possibility of a large-scale
casualty incident.
James Wallace, the chief of Baltimore Fire Department, stated at a press
conference that "there were probably many people on the bridge at the time
of the collapse." So far, he said, two people have been pulled out of the
water. He stated that one person was unharmed and the other was sent to a
nearby trauma centre in a "very bad condition."
At least seven persons, according to Wallace, were in the
water. The head of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, Kevin
Cartwright, previously told The Washington Post that the figure might reach
twenty.
Without providing a figure, Wallace stated, "Our sonar has detected the
presence of automobiles submerged in the water."
The Francis
Scott Key Bridge rests partially collapsed after a container ship ran into it
early Tuesday in Baltimore.
What are search and rescue conditions at Key Bridge
like?
Wallace stated that in addition to maritime and air support,
the authorities were deploying underwater search instruments such as sonar and
underwater drones.
He continued by saying that the extreme cold at the location was making things
challenging for the rescuers.
The 1.6-mile bridge connects Baltimore's Inner Harbour to the Chesapeake Bay by
crossing the Patapsco River. Named for Francis Scott Key, the man who composed
"The Star-Spangled Banner," it opened in 1977 and can accommodate
over 11 million vehicles a year.
What is the impact on Baltimore traffic conditions?
Traffic on the local roads stayed mild hours after the Key
Bridge collapse in Baltimore. Regional traffic officials reported that both
eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 695 were blocked at the bridge. The
outer loop was rerouted to MD-10 at Exit 2, while the inner loop was redirected
to MD-157 at Exit 43.
Authorities advised commuters to be mindful of size and HAZMAT restrictions and
to use alternate harbour crossings accessible via Interstates 95 and 895.
A list of the bus routes impacted has been issued by the Maryland Department of
Transportation. Officials declared that shipping was not permitted in Baltimore
Harbour.
What do we know about the container ship Dali that hit
the bridge?
According to Singapore's Maritime Port Authority, the
collision included 22 crew members. According to Wallace, the crew might still
be on board. Built in 2015, the cargo ship has approximately 48 metres (157
feet) in width and 300 metres (984 feet) in length, according to
MarineTraffic.com.
Container ship en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka; scheduled to arrive on April 22,
according to global maritime tracker Vessel Finder. It had passed through the
Panama Canal and made port calls in the United States at Norfolk and New York
prior to Baltimore.
The ship is under the management of Synergy Marine Group and
has Grace Ocean Pte Ltd. as its registered owner. On its website, Synergy Group
states that it is the owner of around 400 boats and that it employs over 14,000
seafarers.
According to Philippine Coast Guard officials, in 2023, a tanker partially
controlled by Synergy collided with another tanker off the coast of the
Philippines, killing two seafarers: a Chinese citizen and a Filipino national.
When a Post reporter stopped into the Singapore-based Synergy Group's offices
on Tuesday night local time, it was completely dark. The office was closed for
the day, according to two workers who answered the doorbell. One employee
answered, "No questions," and he backed carefully away from the door
as his phone kept ringing.
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