(DailyDig.com) – The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, MD, stood for almost fifty years before a large cargo ship rammed into a support pillar. The bridge collapsed in less than ten seconds as it fell like dominoes, piece by piece, into the Patapsco River.
The Dali, a 948-foot container vessel, appeared to sustain several power failures just prior to impact with the support pillar, as seen in the video posted on social media. The bridge is a vital link to traffic in Baltimore, as it is Interstate 695 and normally carries large numbers of vehicles. At the time of the incident, early in the morning on March 26, the traffic was very light. At 1:27 a.m., the Coast Guard received a call. The Coast Guard then activated the response team.
As the video shows, prior to the collision, the lights on the ship went dark, and a few seconds later, they turned back on. Black smoke rose from the chimney, and a few seconds later, it appeared to turn toward the pillar. The lights went out again, then back on. About two seconds later, the ship collided with the pillar, and the video showed the bridge just above the pillar crumbling into the river. As each section plummeted, it appeared to take additional portions one at a time until the entire center section of the 1.6-mile bridge had fallen.
The video showed sparse traffic prior to the collision, but just within seconds of the impact, traffic stopped. The only activity seen for those few seconds was flashing lights from the vehicles of construction workers who were repairing potholes on the bridge. When the ship reported its power failure, officials were able to stop traffic from entering the bridge in anticipation of a possible tragedy.
At the time of the collision, eight construction workers were on the bridge. The Coast Guard continues their search and rescue efforts after rescuing two workers.
The company managing the cargo ship stated that they had not determined what caused the power failures at that time.
Copyright 2024, DailyDig.com
