Updates on the collapse of the Baltimore Key Bridge
Observe the following:
Cause: The cargo ship Dali reported losing power shortly before it collided with a column on the bridge, which is the cause of the collapse.
See the bridge crumble in real time: The hunt for six laborers is still ongoing. They are believed to be dead.
Location: Originally part of I-695, the bridge crossed the Patapsco River, an important route that, along with the Port of Baltimore, serves as an East Coast shipping hub. A manager of the supply chain advises anticipating shortages of commodities in the upcoming days.
• The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early on Tuesday morning when a 984-foot cargo ship struck one of its pillars, resulting in the suspected deaths of six people.
• The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board told SOURCES that more details will be released to the public later today. Overnight, investigators were able to enter the ship and get the data recorder, or black box.
• The US has identified two fathers, one from Honduras and the other from El Salvador, as missing. Among the missing are two Guatemalans, and others of the missing are citizens of Mexico. On Wednesday, the divers went back to their recovery work.
• The collapse has permanently stopped ships from entering and leaving Baltimore, which could have a negative impact on the local economy, put stress on supply networks, and cause delays for deliveries along the East Coast.
14 minutes prior
Baltimore Mayor: Divers are resuming the recovery efforts for six victims.
The goal of rescue operations is still to locate the six individuals who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told SOURCES on Tuesday.
Scott stated that he got word just before speaking with SOURCES that divers were getting ready to start up their underwater search again.
“That work is already dangerous, but it will be even more so today,” added Scott. “With the expected rain and the choppy waters, we all know about the debris and other things that they’ll be dealing with.”
“We also have to live those first responders up who are putting their own lives at risk to be able to bring those who we lost home to have some sort of closure for those families,”
20 minutes prior
Investigations into who is responsible for the bridge crash are ongoing, according to Transportation Secretary Buttigieg.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has stated that private firms will face accountability if found at fault for the Francis Scott Key Bridge cargo ship accident.
“To be clear, private parties will be held accountable if they are found to be responsible for this,” he stated to SOURCES. But we must start working right away, so we can’t wait for it to happen,” he remarked.
Buttigieg told SOURCES on Wednesday that the Biden administration will prioritize getting the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the Port of Baltimore back up and running, but he acknowledged that there will be a “long road to recovery” for both.
Buttigieg said that he did not know when the Patapsco River channel might reopen but that he was working with the US Coast Guard and other necessary authorities to get it open as quickly as possible. He mentioned that the date will also depend on the state of the remaining pier.
In addition to bringing those ships inside, we also need to free some of the already-inside ships that are unable to leave. Thus, opening that channel is crucial,” he stated.
Buttigieg also issued a warning about impending supply chain disruptions, saying, “This incident will have an impact on our supply chains and the region as a whole.” We are discussing the construction of a five-year-old bridge and the closure of the nation’s largest vehicle-handling port until the clearing of that channel.
36 minutes prior
Investigators boarded the Dali ship overnight, according to the NTSB chair, and recovered its data recorder.
Investigators were allowed to board the Dali ship overnight, according to Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, who spoke with SOURCES.
On SOURCES News Central on Wednesday morning, Homendy stated, “Some investigators boarded late last night to look at the engine room, the bridge, and gather any sort of electronics or documentation.”
“At present, we own the data record, which is basically the “black box,” said Homendy. “We’ve returned that to our lab for analysis and to start creating a chronology of the events leading up to the bridge strike.” Later today, she said, information from the black box on board the ship should be available to the investigators.
According to Homendy, a group of twenty-four detectives will be going back to the ship this morning with the intention of gathering any perishable evidence, such as images of the ship.
40 minutes ago
Despite the collapse of Key Bridge, the Port of Baltimore will continue to operate, according to a city council member.
Despite the collapse of the Key Bridge, the Port of Baltimore will continue to function, according to Councilman Mark Conway of Baltimore’s fourth district.
Ships will still be allowed to pass through the port, according to Conway, but heavier cargo items would need to wait until the bridge debris is removed, she told SOURCES.
“The port will still be operating, to my understanding; folks will be able to come in and out of the port, but cargo will not be able to make it through the port until we are able to clear the bridge and the area,” he stated.
“And there’s still at this point, no telling how long that may take,” he continued.
