The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has initiated a criminal investigation into the collapse of a bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26. as reported by the Washington Post. This probe is focusing on the circumstances leading to the incident, including the role of the Dali cargo ship.
According to the report, the investigation will examine whether the crew of the Dali cargo ship was aware of significant issues with the vessel’s systems before departing from the port of Baltimore. This aspect of the probe is crucial to understanding the sequence of events that led to the disaster when the ship lost power and collided with a bridge support pylon. The catastrophic impact resulted in the bridge’s collapse into the Patapsco River, claiming the lives of six bridge workers.
Efforts to reach representatives from the FBI for comments on the investigation were unsuccessful at the time of the report. Meanwhile, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting its own investigation into the incident. Last week, the head of the NTSB informed Congress that they had interviewed key personnel from the cargo ship as part of their inquiry into the crash.
Recovery and repair efforts are ongoing in the aftermath of the collapse. Teams are working diligently to clear the wreckage and restore traffic through Maryland’s vital shipping channel, which has been significantly disrupted by this event.
This federal scrutiny comes amid growing concerns about the safety and integrity of infrastructure and the adequacy of regulations governing cargo ships operating in US waters. The investigations by both the FBI and NTSB are critical to determining the cause of the collapse and to implementing measures that could prevent such incidents in the future.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
