A massive cargo ship leaving Baltimore Harbor suddenly lost power and control, resulting in a tragic sequence of events.
Unfortunately, this caused the 1.6-mile Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore to collide with a support column, which ultimately caused the bridge to collapse catastrophically.
Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapses in Baltimore: Chaos Ensues
Officials said that, as a result, people and cars were thrown into the river, resulting in considerable confusion and anxiety.
A transportation accident early in the morning prompted a prompt and comprehensive emergency response from Baltimore firefighters, police, and the US Coast Guard.
Authorities estimate that about twenty cars and a few members of a maintenance crew fell into the water while they were patching potholes on the bridge.
Dive teams are currently looking for any survivors in the water, according to Wallace. Reports state that the rescue teams encountered many difficulties during their operation.
These challenges included negotiating a sizable and dangerous debris field, overcoming darkness, and navigating the channel’s strong current.Paul Wiedefeld, the secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, has disclosed information about the water’s depth at the crash site, estimating it to be about fifty feet.
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Biden Approves Federal Aid for Baltimore Harbor Rescue
President Joe Biden said that he had approved the deployment of federal resources in the ongoing search and rescue effort during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at the White House.
The president has stressed that there is no proof linking the incident to terrorism, which is consistent with remarks made by federal, state, and local officials. Putting it down as a “horrible incident and accident,” Biden shared his opinions.
President Biden has pledged that the federal government will pay for the bridge’s replacement as part of his commitment to improving infrastructure. Initially constructed in the 1970s for $110 million, the bridge will cost $500 million in 2024 due to inflation.
At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Maryland Governor Wes Moore underlined that rescue teams are exerting great effort to preserve lives.
The FBI’s Baltimore field office’s special agent in charge, Bill DelBagno, affirmed that the incident had nothing to do with terrorism. An hour after the event, the FBI showed up on the scene.
Out of the initial eight people whose whereabouts were unknown, emergency personnel report the successful recovery of two. There are still six people missing. The University of Maryland Medical Center released a patient who survived the bridge collapse after receiving care.
The officials reported that the second person they retrieved was unharmed. Two construction workers just so happened to be on the bridge at that same moment, according to officials.
According to a recent internal briefing ABC News received, one worker departed from the bridge, while the other ended up in the water, where they managed to swim to safety.
Officials said the container ship was going around nine miles per hour, or eight knots, when it struck the bridge. Reports state that the swift efforts of the authorities, who blocked automobiles from accessing the bridge, lessened the disaster’s potential severity.
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