The entire 22-member crew of the cargo ship that collided with a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below, are Indians, the company said.
“All crew members, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries. There has also been no pollution,” ship management company Synergy Marine Group said in a statement.
At 1:27 a.m. ET (10:57 a.m. IST), the container ship ‘Dali’ collided with a bridge pylon, forcing the entire structure to collapse into the river.
The vessel, registered under Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and flying the Singapore flag, was fully packed with containers, capable of transporting up to 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), however it was only carrying 4,679 TEU at the time of the incident.
A construction crew working on the bridge suffered injuries, with eight people plunging into the river’s frigid waters, where temperatures were a chilly 8°C. Two of the eight were recovered, one was uninjured, and another was badly injured, leaving six others missing.
Eyewitnesses captured the shocking moment on video as the bridge crumpled into the waters of the Patapsco River below, with several vehicles plummeting into the chilly depths. The vessel itself caught fire, shrouding the scene in thick black smoke. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott described the sight as “an unthinkable tragedy,” likening it to something out of an action movie.
Scott declared a state of emergency in response to the bridge collapse.
Maryland state senator Johnny Ray Salling, who was from the area, said the bridge plays a vital role in not only transportation, but also commerce.
“Losing this bridge will devastate the entire area, as well as the entire East Coast,” said Salling, a Republican.
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(Source: HT)
