The Maryland state police on Wednesday said that the six people who were missing after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed Tuesday in Baltimore, Maryland, are feared dead.
The Singapore-flagged vessel collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland, leading to its collapse on Tuesday.
The ship's crew -- all Indian, 22 in total -- issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland's governor said.
Owners and managers of the Singapore-flagged container ship 'Dali' report that the vessel collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Baltimore, whilst under pilotage with two pilots onboard, at approximately 01:30 local time on March 26, ship management company Synergy Marine Group said in a statement.
"Our heartfelt condolences to all affected by the unfortunate accident at the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore," the Indian Embassy said in a post on X.
The embassy said it has created a dedicated hotline "for any Indian citizens that may be affected/require assistance".
The embassy is ascertaining details regarding the vessel's crew.
The ship, outbound from Baltimore to Colombo, struck a 1.6-mile-long, four-lane bridge in Baltimore in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Shortly after the collision, the bridge collapsed, crashing on the cargo ship.
Grace Ocean Private Ltd owns the vessel with a capacity of 10,000 TEU, with onboard units totalling 4,679 TEU. The vessel's tons deadweight is 116,851 DWT.
The crew alerted transportation personnel about losing control of the vessel, enabling authorities to close the Baltimore bridge to traffic before the devastating collision, "undoubtedly" saving lives, US President Joe Biden said.
"Personnel onboard the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of their vessel. As a result, local authorities were able to close the bridge to traffic before the bridge was struck, which undoubtedly saved lives," Biden said in remarks made in the White House on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Biden said that the investigation into the collision so far indicates "that this was a terrible accident. At this time, we have no other indication, no other reason to believe if there is any intentional act here", Biden said.
The bridge crosses over the Patapsco River and its construction was completed in 1977. The bridge has a traffic volume of 11.3 million vehicles. It is named after Francis Scott Key, the author of the US national anthem ‘Star Spangled Banner.'
United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek Barron said that there was no evidence to suggest that the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has any ties to terrorism.
Earlier in the day, Biden spoke with federal, state, and local officials as part of the ongoing response to the collapse of the bridge.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore also told reporters that the crew of the cargo ship alerted authorities about a “power issue” before the vessel collided with the bridge and this mayday call enabled workers to stop more vehicular traffic from coming onto the bridge.
“We can confirm that the crew notified authorities of a power issue,” Moore said.
Moore was asked that the crew on the ship alerted authorities about losing propulsion and was in trouble.
“Yes”, Moore said when asked if the crew had lost power on the ship.
“We do know that the investigation is currently going on. But I have to say I'm thankful for the folks who, once the warning came up and once notification came up that there was a mayday, who literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge. These people are heroes, they saved lives last night,” he said.
“We are thankful that between the mayday and the collapse that we had officials who were able to begin to stop the flow of traffic so more cars were not up on the bridge,” he said.
Moore added that the preliminary investigation “points to an accident. We haven't seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack.”
With inputs from PTI
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