The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore
, one of the longest, most iconic and most important bridges in America, over the bay that gave the country the anthem,
collapsed like a house of cards in 20 seconds after one of its central pylons
collapsed was hit by a giant container ship, which probably broke down while leaving the port.
Images captured in a shocking video by a fixed surveillance camera that went around the world, showing the elegant white steel structure sagging and collapsing on top of the cargo and its mountain of colored containers.
For now the provisional toll speaks of 6 missing.
But according to the construction company they worked for "they are probably dead"
.
Given the depth and temperature of the water as well as the height from which they crashed, there is little hope.
At the time of the accident, around twenty workers were repairing the road surface of the bridge, but there were also at least seven vehicles, including a truck, which fell 60 meters into the Patapsco River below.
Two people were rescued, one of them in serious condition.
Fortunately it was half past one in the morning, otherwise there would have been a risk of a much worse tragedy, considering that over 30 thousand vehicles pass through it every day.
The searches, which involve boats and helicopters, are in a desperate race against time, hampered by strong currents.
Another source of concern is the water temperature, around 3 degrees, with the risk of hypothermia for any survivors.
No one was injured among the 22 people of the all-Indian crew of the Dali cargo ship that hit the bridge.
Although the FBI is participating in the investigation, the authorities have ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack.
"From the first investigations it appears that it was a terrible accident, there are no indications of intentional acts", confirmed Joe Biden speaking live on TV from the White House after having ordered all federal resources to be made available to deal with the emergency response, from the research to the rapid reactivation of the port.
The president also promised a visit as soon as possible and that the government would cover all reconstruction costs.
Direct and indirect damages are estimated at several billion dollars.
Car traffic is already at a standstill and the port, one of the main ones in the country, has stopped.
Meanwhile, the possible causes of the accident are being investigated.
The Dali ship, driven by local pilots, appears to have lost power and gone off course just before impact.
She had also sent an SOS and dropped anchor into the sea, but perhaps she was traveling too fast to change direction.
“A power issue,” Maryland authorities reported.
In the images the freighter can also be seen emitting a column of dark smoke before the impact.
The power loss appears to have occurred at 1.24am local time for approximately 60 seconds.
A minute later the ship emits black smoke.
The lights went out again for a second time two minutes before the collision.
The Dali hit the bridge at 1.28am, about half an hour after leaving the port of Baltimore, and the bridge collapsed four seconds later.
The cargo, flying the Singapore flag and bound for Sri Lanka, is owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd., while the Synergy Marine Group is the manager, which in turn had leased it from the Danish shipping giant Maersk.
The ship had already been involved in an accident in 2016 in Antwerp, Belgium, where the bow hit the side of the quay as it left the port, significantly damaging several meters of the hull.
The blame was placed on the commander but the accident caused no injuries or casualties.
The bridge, however, passed a safety inspection by the US Department of Transportation last year with "satisfactory" results.
Unfortunately, its span structure with all interconnected elements could not withstand the violent impact.
Considered an engineering masterpiece, 2.5 km long with four lanes in each direction, it was inaugurated in 1977, becoming one of the main traffic hubs along the East Coast.
It was named after the poet Francis Scott Key, who in September 1814 - near what became the site of the bridge - witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships at the Battle of Baltimore and drew inspiration from it for the poem later renamed 'The Star-Spangled Banner', the national anthem since 1931.
Video Collision with a cargo ship, Baltimore bridge collapses
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