What we know about the Baltimore bridge collapse
CTV
A cargo ship rammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Bridge early Tuesday, causing the span to collapse and the presumed deaths of six people. Here's what we know so far about the disaster.
A cargo ship rammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Bridge early Tuesday, causing the span to collapse and the presumed deaths of six people.
Here's what we know so far about the disaster:
The operators of the Dali cargo ship issued a mayday call that the vessel had lost power moments before the crash, but the ship still headed toward the span at “a very, very rapid speed," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
The 985-foot-long (300-metre-long) vessel struck one of the 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometre) bridge’s supports, causing the span to break and fall into the water within seconds.
Six construction workers who were filling potholes on the bridge were still missing Tuesday afternoon and presumed dead. Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said they were working in the middle of the span when it came apart.
An inspection of the Dali last June at a port in Chile identified a problem with the ship’s “propulsion and auxiliary machinery,” according to Equasis, a shipping information system. The deficiency involved gauges and thermometers, but the website’s online records didn’t elaborate.
The most recent inspection listed for the Dali was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York in September. The “standard examination” didn’t identify any deficiencies, according to the Equasis data.
