Divers are going to return today at dawn to patapsco river, at the point where a large bridge in Baltimore collapsed yesterday Tuesday after a freighter crashed into it. However, the six missing workers who fell into the water are now presumed dead.

“Based on the length of the searches that have been conducted (…), the temperature of the water, we now estimate that we will not find these people alive,” Coast Guard Vice Admiral Shannon Gilreath said during a press conference.

After the bridge collapse Francis Scott Key in the port of Baltimore, in the state of Maryland, USA, the authorities launched air, sea and even underwater searches and managed to locate two survivors, one of whom is seriously injured.

But last night because of the difficult conditions – tides and currents made the divers’ work dangerous – the search was suspended.

“We’re just moving into a new phase” of operations, he explained, with another official clarifying that divers will return to the crash site this morning.

The six missing are workers who were carrying out road construction works on the bridge at the time it collapsed.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called it an “unspeakable tragedy,” with police ruling out terrorism.

“Heroes”

The toll of this “horrible accident”, as US President Joe Biden described it, would have been even greater if the cargo ship which “temporarily lost its propulsion system” had not been able to send out a distress signal.

Thanks to this danger signal, the authorities were able to stop vehicular traffic on the bridge.

The 300-meter long container ship Dali had just started a 27-day voyage from the port of Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka.

Shortly after his departure, in the middle of the night from Monday to Tuesday, the electricity supply was interrupted. The ship’s electronic systems and engine stopped working. Dali’s crew could not control the huge ship.

The crew tried in vain to repair the damage, while the one navigator on board gave orders to the crew to return the Dali to port and drop anchor.

Although a generator appears to have started working at some point, the ship did not recover its engines.

Navigators had no other choice and shortly before 01:30 (local time, 07:30 Greek time) early on Tuesday they issued a distress call warning authorities that an impact was imminent.

“There’s a vessel approaching that has lost its navigation system,” a Maryland Department of Transportation official is heard saying over the radio. “Until it’s under control, we have to shut down traffic.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called the Dali crew “heroes” and added that their immediate response “saved lives” because authorities were able to shut down traffic on the four-lane bridge within two minutes. after the emission of the hazard signal and the impact.

Important road axis

The 2.6 km long Francis Scott Key Bridge is part of the main road connecting the northern and southern states of the USA on the east coast of the country.

In addition, access to the port of Baltimore is no longer possible due to the wreckage of the bridge and sea transport there “has been suspended until further notice”, according to the authorities.

The port of Baltimore is the most important in the US in terms of car cargo. In 2022 alone, more than 750,000 vehicles passed through there, according to data from the port authority. It is also one of the largest exporters of coal.

The closure of this major port on the US East Coast could disrupt the supply chain for products – from cars to coal to sugar, meaning delays and costs will increase

Dali is owned by Grace Ocean Pt Ltd, managed by Synergy Marine Corp and was chartered by the Danish company Maersk. Its 22 crew members are safe.

Singapore’s port authorities announced yesterday that the Dali had successfully passed two inspections in 2023 and that a faulty fuel pressure monitor had been repaired in June.

Chilean port authorities, for their part, indicated in 2023 that the Dali experienced a problem with its engines, but that was also repaired.