The collapse of the bridge in Baltimore: how in 90 seconds a group of “heroes” stopped traffic before the collapse

It was midnight when the alarm from a switchboard operator came over the radio.: A huge freighter had lost its ability to turn and was heading towards the Francis Scott Bridge, in Baltimore. It was just a 12-second radio message.

In the next 90 seconds, police officers managed to stop the traffic of vehicles on the Baltimore Bridge in both directions. One said he was about to reach the bridge to alert a construction crew.

But It was already too late. Uncontrolled and loaded with large containers, The ship crashed into one of the bridge pillars.

When the Dalí container ship crashed into the pillar around 1:30 a.m., it caused a long span of the bridge — a key piece of the region’s transportation infrastructure — to collapse into the Patapsco River. Six people who were working on repairs to the bridge fell into the water and They are presumed dead. On Wednesday, divers focused on finding their bodies. Two others survived, but one was in serious condition at the time of the rescue.

The bridge is expected to be lost interrupt traffic in the area and the operation of a vital commercial port.

All the victims have been identified: they were part of a construction team that was filling potholes on the road. Search operations were expected to resume on Wednesday morning.

Among the missing There are Guatemalans, Hondurans and Mexicansdiplomats from the three countries said. Honduran was identified as Mayor Yassir Suazo Sandoval.

Naval traffic suspended

Federal and state officials said the crash appeared to be an accident. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what happened and the arrivals and departures of the ships from the Port of Baltimore They have been suspended indefinitely.

Capt. Michael Burns Jr., of the Maritime Center for Responsible Energy, noted that bringing a ship into port and exiting into restricted waters with limited room to maneuver It is “one of the most technically difficult and challenging things we do.”

A colossus at the mercy of the wind and current

“There are truly few things scarier than losing power in confined waters,” he said. And when a ship loses propulsion and control, “It’s really at the mercy of the wind and current.”

The video showed the ship moving at what Gov. Wes Moore said was about 8 knots — about 9 miles per hour (15 kilometers per hour) — toward the 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) long bridge.

At the moment there was still traffic crossing the bridgeand some vehicles appeared to have escaped the tragedy just for a few seconds. The impact caused the structure to break and fall into the water within seconds, and later in the day the remains could be seen protruding into the river.

The police underlined this There is no evidence that anyone else fell overboard besides the workers, however The possibility was not excluded.

This was explained by a manager of the company that employed the missing people, Brawner Builders, at the time of the collapse They were working on the center of the bridge.

“This was completely unexpected,” said Jeffrey Pritzker, the company’s executive vice president. “We don’t know what else to say. “We take great pride in safety and have cones, signs, lights, barriers and markers.”

The workers were on break

Jesús Campos, who worked on the bridge for Brawner Builders and knows the crew members, said they told him they were on break and that some were sitting in their trucks when the bridge collapsed.

“I know I was there a month ago and I know what it feels like when the trucks go by,” he said. “Imagine you know it’s falling. “It’s so hard you wouldn’t know what to do.”

Father Ako Walker, a Catholic priest at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, said he spent time with relatives of the missing workers as they waited for news of their loved ones.

“You can see the pain on their faces,” he said.

Rescuers pulled two people out of the water. and one of them was treated in hospital and released hours later.

The accident It happened well before the busy morning rush hour on the bridge, which last year was used by 12 million vehicles.

What other bridges collapsed?

Between 1960 and 2015, There have been 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collisions, according to the World Water Transport Infrastructure Association.

It is almost certain that Tuesday’s accident it will cause a logistical nightmare on the East Coast for months, or perhaps years, shutting down shipping traffic in the Port of Baltimore, a major distribution center.

State Secretary for Transport Paul Wiedefeld said maritime traffic in and out of the port is suspended until further notice, although trucks will still be able to access the infrastructure.

“The loss of this bridge will devastate the entire region, as well as the entire East Coast,” said state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling.

Biden: Federal government will pay for reconstruction

For his part, Federal Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg noted that it is too early to offer an estimate of the time needed to clear the canal, which is approximately 15 meters (50 feet) deep. President Joe Biden has said he plans to travel to Baltimore soon and hopes the federal government will take over. the total cost of reconstruction.

Synergy Marine Group, the ship’s management company, said the impact occurred while it was under the control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help guide ships to safely enter and exit ports. One of the crew members was treated in hospital for a minor injury, he added in a statement Wednesday.

The vessel is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. e Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered it.

The Dalí, 300 meters (985 feet) long, was direct from Baltimore to ColumbusSri Lanka, and sails under the flag of Singapore, according to Marine Traffic data.

The container ship they had passed port inspections in June AND September 2023. In the first, a faulty fuel pressure gauge was repaired before sailing, the Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement on Wednesday.

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