Baltimore Bridge Collapse: What We Know, What We Don’t

Last updated Tuesday at 9:40 p.m.

BALTIMORE, MD — Authorities have halted the search for six members of a work crew patching concrete on the highway portion; the victims missing after a ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The ship lost power before the crash, authorities said, which caused the bridge to collapse overnight in Baltimore.

The Coast Guard halted the search Tuesday night, and it has transitioned to a recovery mission. "We do not believe that we are going to find any of these individuals still alive," Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said at an evening news conference.

Divers will return to the waters at 6 a.m. Wednesday in an effort to recover the bodies, Maryland State Police Secretary Col. Roland Butler Jr. said. "At this point, we do not know where they are. But we intend to give it our best effort to help these families find closure," he said Tuesday evening.

María del Carmen Castellón told Telemundo 44 that her husband, Miguel Luna 49, is one of the men missing.

“They only tell us that we have to wait, that for now, they can’t give us information,” she said, according to NBC Washington. “[We feel] devastated, devastated because our heart is broken, because we don’t know if they’ve rescued them yet."

A representative of the company the construction workers are employed by told The Associated Press that they are presumed dead given the water’s depth and the length of time since the crash. Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said the crew was working in the middle of the bridge when it came apart.

Maryland Transportation Authority first responder radio traffic captured a dispatcher putting out a call that the ship, Dali, had lost its steering ability and officers were told to stop all traffic. In less than two minutes, officers had halted traffic on the span, the AP reported.

An officer then radioed he was going to drive onto the bridge to notify the construction crew. But seconds later, a frantic officer radioed that the bridge had collapsed.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg reiterated that the federal government will handle the cost of rebuilding the bridge. A new freight office has opened at the port to address supply chain problems.

"This is no ordinary bridge, this is one of the cathedrals of American architecture," Buttigieg said. "So the path to normalcy will not be easy, it will not be quick, it will not be inexpensive."

When asked how long the shipping channel will be closed, Buttigieg said, it will be a major and protracted issue for the supply chain.

President Biden said from the White House that he intends for the federal government to pay the entire cost of rebuilding the bridge and port.

“I’ve directed my team to move heaven and earth to rebuild that bridge as soon as humanly possible,” Biden said. "To the people of Baltimore: We’re with you, we’re going to stay with you.”

An inspection of the Dali in June noted a problem with the ship’s “propulsion and auxiliary machinery,” AP reported, but online records didn’t elaborate. The most recent inspection listed for the Dali was done by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York on Sept. 13, 2023. According to the Equasis data, the “standard examination” didn’t identify any deficiencies.

The National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Baltimore Tuesday afternoon to lead the investigation into what caused the collision. Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said local search teams and the NTSB need to verify exactly how many people are missing, and the nuber of cars on the bridge as the span gave way.

“Nobody is going by a number, they’re just looking and searching, that’s what’s important," Homendy said. “The focus is on the families and the people.”

Investigators will look at any deficiencies on the vessel before it sailed, its safety history, and maintenance done to the vessel.

The Maryland Transportation Authority, which operated the bridge, confirmed the collision and the collapse at 3:20 a.m. The superstructure of the bridge was more than 100 feet above the water, and a portion of it is now resting on the front of the ship.

The ship’s crew had notified authorities they had lost power before striking the support. Officials on the ground raced to stop cars from going over the bridge once the mayday call was made, which saved lives, Gov. Wes Moore said.

Paul Wiedefeld, Maryland transportation secretary, said rescuers are looking for six people, with one rescued person at Maryland Shock Trauma and another rescued person who was not hurt. The six missing are believed to be the construction crew, and authorities said at their 10 a.m. update that it is unlikely there is anyone in the vehicles in the water.

PHOTOS: Key Bridge Collapses After Ship Strike, Search For Survivors

An FBI official, Moore and other leaders reiterated that there is no sign the crash was an act of terrorism.

Key Commuter Route Severed

Moore said 30,000 Marylanders use the route for commute route daily.

“To hear the words 'the Key bridge has collapsed' is shocking," Moore said. "The words that the Key Bridge is gone ... it shakes us, for 47 years that’s all we’ve known. It’s not just unprecedented, it’s heartbreaking.”

No ships may enter or exit Baltimore harbor while the Dali is trapped under the bridge wreckage. Rep. Kweisi Mfume of Baltimore said the closure will "have a huge economic impact" on the region's economy, noting the Baltimore port is one of the biggest in the nation.

The Associated Press reported that the initial calls came around 1:30 a.m. that people may have fallen into the Patapsco River.

“This is a dire emergency,” Baltimore Fire Department spokesperson Kevin Cartwright told The AP. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”

Related:

• Video: See Moment Key Bridge Collapsed Into Baltimore Harbor
• Key Bridge Collapse Reactions: 'I Didn't Think It Was Real'
• Who Was Francis Scott Key, Whose Namesake Bridge Fell?
• A List Of Major US Bridge Collapses Caused By Ships And Barges

Fire Chief James Wallace of the Baltimore City Fire Department said at a 6:30 a.m. news conference that the latest information he has is that the crew is still on the ship and accounted for. Rescuers must conduct a damage assessment of the ship before they can board it.

"We are still very much in an active search and rescue posture, we have a large search area, including on the water, under the water and on the ship," he added.

Two people were rescued from the water, one in very serious condition at a local trauma center, while the other refused treatment, Wallace said.

Johnny Olszewski Jr., Baltimore County executive told CNN that with the sun up they can begin dive operations.

"Right now our focus is on search and rescue and search and recovery operations," Olszewski said. "Our most recent intelligence is we have at least seven people impacted."

Wallace said sonar detected the presence of vehicles in the water, but rescuers don’t have an exact number yet.

Dive team members will tell rescuers when they’ve reached the point of no survivors, Wallace said.

Patch has seen several search boats in the area and local fire departments with additional dive units responding to the scene about 9 a.m.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said there is "absolutely no indication of terrorism, no indication it was intentional."

Local officials said it is too soon to discuss possible causes for the crash. Olszewski told CNN the ship should have been in the main channel going under the center section of the bridge span, and it off to the side and hit a support pillar.

Details On Ship's History

Cartwright told The AP the ship is named “Dali.” A Singapore-flagged cargo ship with that name was traveling from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka at the time of the crash, Marine Vessel Traffic reported. The ship is 984 feet long and 157 feet wide, according to MarineTraffic.com.

A video that shows the collapse is posted here. The video appears to show a ship striking one of the support pillars and most of the bridge falling into the water.

Moore said he has declared a state of emergency in Maryland following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

"We are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration," Moore said. "We are thankful for the brave men and women who are carrying out efforts to rescue those involved and pray for everyone’s safety. We will remain in close contact with federal, state, and local entities that are carrying out rescue efforts as we continue to assess and respond to this tragedy."

The crew of the ship is still onboard. Fire officials referred questions about whether an American pilot was on the ship to law enforcement.

When a ship enters the Port of Baltimore, a state-licensed pilot must board the vessel to take control. This local pilot, not the captain, guides the ship in and out of the port.

Wiedefeld told Patch that an authorized Maryland pilot was in control of the ship at the time of the accident.

Only the bridge approach is visible. The truss once perched above the roadway is gone. The media staging area is about half a mile from the bridge, so it’s difficult to see the damage in the darkness.

The air temperature is 43 degrees, adding hypothermia risk for any survivors.

Helicopters are circling overhead, and dozens of first responders are on the scene.

The Key Bridge carried Interstate 695, also known as the Baltimore Beltway, over the Patapsco River. The crossing connected Sparrows Point in Baltimore County to Hawkins Point in Baltimore City.

Drivers should avoid this stretch of I-695 and instead use Interstates 95 or the 895 Baltimore Harbor Tunnel to cross the Baltimore harbor. Harbor crossings alternate routes will be I-95 and the Fort McHenry Tunnel or I-895 tunnels, the Maryland Department of Transportation said.

The Maryland Department of Transportation posted bus routes affected by the collapse.

This outer crossing of the Baltimore Harbor opened in March 1977 as the final link in I-695 (the Baltimore Beltway). The 1.6 mile Key Bridge crosses over the Patapsco River where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the words of the "Star Spangled Banner," the Maryland Transportation Authority said. This facility also includes the Curtis Creek Drawbridge. Including the bridge and approach roadways, the facility is approximately 10.9 miles in length.