Harford County Swift Water Team Helps With Key Bridge Rescue Mission Following Collapse

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Volunteer firefighters with Harford County's Swift Water Team, the Special Operations Team and the Joppa Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company helped with the search and rescue mission after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning.

A cargo ship named the Dali lost power before the 1:30 a.m. crash, authorities said, and hit the bridge causing it to collapse. Maryland Transportation Authority first responder radio traffic captured a dispatcher putting out a call that the ship 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. A couple of vehicles plunged into the waters below, as did construction crew workers who were on the bridge at the time.
Initial reports had eight people missing; two were recovered with one in critical condition. The remaining six people are unaccounted for. The search changed from a rescue mission Tuesday night to a recovery mission Wednesday morning.

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