This is such a horrible, tragic event — we pray for all those involved and affected!
From Fox News. The Francis Scott Key Bridge along I-695 in Maryland collapsed into the Baltimore harbor following a “ship strike” early Tuesday morning, setting off a search and rescue mission for those who plunged into the chilly waters.
Pray for your fellow intercessor
A livestream of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. showed a cargo ship colliding with a support beam, causing the bridge to break apart and fall into the Patapsco River. Multiple vehicles were on the bridge at the time, but no update on casualties has been offered.
Eight members of a construction crew that was doing routine work filling potholes on the bridge fell into the water, Paul Wiedefeld, secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, told reporters. Six of these members were unaccounted for, while two were rescued. One of the rescued members was in the hospital, while the other refused treatment. …
President Biden addressed the collapse in prepared remarks on Tuesday afternoon, saying that the federal government is sending “all the federal resources they need” and that “we will rebuild this port together.”
“It’s my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort,” the president said, adding that while this effort will take some time, the people of Baltimore “can count on us.” …
When asked whether the ship lost power before striking the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said that the ship’s crew alerted authorities about a power issue before the impact. The mayday call gave authorities time to limit water traffic under the bridge and vehicle traffic across the span.
Emergency crews including the U.S. Coast Guard, local first responders and the FBI were searching for people believed to be in the water, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press around 3 a.m. Officials have described this as a mass casualty event. …
Looks like the ship lost power twice before impact. Note the lights going out each time. If this power loss was complete, many of the ship’s systems would certainly have been affected. pic.twitter.com/wzmzmeR1vp
— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) March 26, 2024
The cargo ship that hit the bridge was the Dali, a 95,000 GT Singapore-flagged container ship, the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore confirmed. There were 22 crew members onboard at the time of the incident.
The Synergy Group, a Singapore-based company that manages the ship, said in a statement that two pilots piloting the ship through the harbor and all crew members onboard were accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries. The group also said that no pollution has been reported.
The large vessel appeared to catch fire before becoming disabled. Footage of the incident shows the lights going out multiple times on the vessel in question prior to impact, suggesting the collision may have been due to a power failure. …
Share your prayers below for the people of Baltimore.
(Excerpt from Fox News. Photo Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)