The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore (Maryland, USA) has left at least six dead, according to the Coast Guard. However, the tragedy could have been worse if it were not for the key action of the emergency services after receiving a notice from the ship’s workers (with the well-known ‘mayday’). “Stop all traffic on the Key Bridge. A ship that has just lost its rudder is approaching“: this is how they warned of the approach of the Dali ship according to conversations that have emerged from the minutes before the collapse.
Workers hold desperate conversations by radio in which they warn of the ship crashing into the Baltimore Bridge. “Stop all traffic on the Key Bridge. There’s a ship approaching that just lost its rudder, so Until they control it, we have to stop all traffic“says one of the officers over the radio. Excerpts from the police radio conversations have been published by Broadcastify.
Given this warning, a few minutes later, road traffic was closed. One of the officers also spoke about the construction workers who were carrying out maneuvers on the bridge and who are now presumed dead. “There’s a crew up thereyou may want to notify the managerLet’s see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily,” says the agent. However, they couldn’t rescue them and they fell into the sea.
The following message already warned of the catastrophe: “The entire bridge just collapsed. Whoever it is, answer. The entire bridge has collapsed.”. A panicked message as the Dali ship crashes into Baltimore’s largest bridge. In another conversation, it is confirmed that nothing could be done for the construction workers: “I can’t get to the other side, the bridge has fallen.”
The bridge is vital infrastructure for Baltimore, and especially for its port, which annually generates $2.6 billion in revenue and more than $395 million in taxes. Precisely, the freighter Dali – with the flag of Singapore – that hit one of the pylons of the Francis Scott Key Bridge had left the port of Baltimore 30 minutes before for a planned trip of 27 days which was destined for Sri Lanka, according to the Vessel Finder portal that tracks maritime traffic.
After the collision, the ship caught fire, according to fire and police sources. However, none of her crew members have fallen into the water.
Source: Lasexta
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
