Baltimore Bridge Collapse Prompts Howard County Water Rescue Team To Help With Search

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Members of the Water Rescue Team with the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services raced to the Port of Baltimore to help with the search and rescue mission after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning.

A Singapore-flagged containership 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.

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

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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.

"We deployed our Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services Water Rescue Team from Station 11 to assist with the recovery. We are actively working with the State Incident Management Team to ensure resources are adequately deployed, as necessary. We are beyond grateful for the emergency personnel who quickly responded to this incident and who are working tirelessly to ensure the safety of all residents," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. "My thoughts are with the families of those missing and who have been affected by this tragedy. We are praying for the recovery of all missing people from this incident."

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