Baltimore Bridge Collapse: A container ship collided with the ‘Francis Scott Key’ bridge late on Monday (25 March) in Baltimore city of Maryland state of America. The accident was so severe that the bridge collapsed and sank into the Patapsco River. The Singapore flag was flying on the container ship. The ship was on its way to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, when this accident occurred. All 22 crew members of the ship are Indians. Crew members from the ship that hit the bridge are still on board and responding to authorities, The New York Times reports. All the crew members are ensuring the daily routine work of the ship. According to reports, crew members will not move until the damaged remains of the bridge are cleared. They will take care of the ship in the meantime.
It may take weeks
It could take weeks to clear the debris, free the ship and reopen one of America’s busiest ports. On Saturday, Maryland’s governor said officials planned to remove the first piece of debris. Meanwhile Chris James, an employee of a consulting firm that helps the ship’s management company, Synergy Marine, told the New York Times that crew members have adequate supplies of food and water, along with enough fuel to keep the generators running. There is still no exact timeline as to when the ship will be pulled from the wreckage. James told The New York Times that once the National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard complete their investigations, the crew could be flown home.
The ship’s crew members tried their best
On the day of the accident, the ship’s crew made every effort to save the ship from colliding with the pillars of the bridge. The pilot had asked the captain to start the ship’s engine again. During this, the crew was given the command to try to turn the ship to the left. Seeing no option, the pilot asked the crew to lower the anchor, so that the speed of the ship could be reduced. Additionally, an SOS alert was sent to Maryland’s Transportation Authority.
What happened with SOS alert?
The ship had sent an SOS alert due to which the transport authority stopped the traffic on both sides of the bridge within 90 seconds. This step of the crew members was praised and they were even called heroes. But, despite all efforts, the accident could not be avoided. 6 people had died in this accident. US President Joe Biden also expressed grief over the accident.
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