Dramatic scenes caught on camera in Baltimore after a container vessel Dali, rammed into the column of Francis Scott Key bridge leading to the entire bridge collapsing into the Patapsco River.
Watch this animated map that shows how the vessel stayed on track when it left the Baltimore port. It veers off track moments before it collides with the column of the bridge.
Sources have said that all the top four executives of the ill-fated ship are Indian nationals. Sources also indicate that the collision could be a result of main engine or steering failure.
Emergency services received multiple calls around 1:30 am on March 26. Rescuers were searching for at least 7 people who are believed to have fallen into the river when the bridge collapsed.
The Francis Scott Key bridge was constructed in 1977 and is named after the poet who wrote America’s national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.
Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.
He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event,” though he didn’t know at the time how many people were affected.
According to ship tracking data, the cargo ship involved in the accident was flagged under Singapore, with its owners confirming the collision incident.
A New York Times report said that all crew members on board the ship were unharmed, and the reasons for the collision remain undetermined.
AP reports that the Singapore-flagged container vessel Dali was on its way to Colombo.
