Six people are missing and presumed dead after a Singapore-flagged vessel collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, U.S., on Mar. 26, 2024 at 1:27pm (Singapore time), causing it to collapse.
Numerous vehicles were seen falling into the water at the time of the collapse.
Two other people were rescued from the water, CBS News reported.
One of them was unhurt, while another was sent to hospital and has since been discharged.
All eight people were part of a local construction crew that had been filling potholes on the bridge at the time of the collapse.
Search and rescue operations suspended 16 hours after collision
The Washington Post reported that search and rescue operations were suspended about 16 hours after the initial collision, on March 27 at 7:30am (Singapore time).
A U.S. Coast Guard official was quoted as saying:
"Based on the length of time that we've gone in this search, the extensive search efforts that we've put into it, the water temperature — that at this point we do not believe that we're going to find any of these individuals still alive."
Another official from the state police said that the water's conditions were dangerous for the divers and first responders due to changing currents, low visibility and sharp metal objects, among other factors.
Subsequent operations will now focus on recovering the victims, whose whereabouts are unknown.
Construction crew were reportedly on a break at time of collapse
AP News further reported that the crew had been on a break at the time of the collapse, with some of them sitting in their trucks.
In addition, radio traffic indicated that officers were just about to notify the crew when the bridge fell.
First responder radio traffic from the Maryland Transportation Authority indicated that a dispatcher had put out a call saying a ship had lost its steering ability and that officers had to stop all traffic.
Traffic on the bridge was stopped by officers in less than two minutes.
One of the officers who stopped traffic also said he would drive onto the bridge to notify the construction crew.
However, another officer radioed in a few seconds later to report that the bridge had collapsed.
Ship's crew members had issued mayday warning prior to collision
CBS News further reported that the ship — Dali — is operated by the Singapore-based charter vessel company Synergy Marine Group and was chartered by Maersk.
According a press release by Synergy Marine, the ship has 22 crew members, all of whom are Indian nationals.
BBC reported that there were also two U.S. pilots aboard the ship from Baltimore.
Several U.S. officials were also quoted as saying that the crew had made an effort to deploy the ship's anchor, although their progress here is unclear.
All 22 crew members, along with the pilots, are safe, with only a minor injury reported, Synergy Marine added.
The company has since activated its incident response team and is cooperating with state and federal officials in the U.S.
Maersk also issued a statement in which it confirmed that it had chartered the ship and that it was carrying Maersk customers' cargo.
"We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected," Maersk added.
Singapore officials from MPA travelling to Baltimore
Meanwhile, another press release by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said that it has contacted the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board's Office of Marine Safety to offer its assistance as the flag administration to support the investigations.
Officials from MPA and Singapore's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau are also travelling to Baltimore.
MPA: Vessel passed two foreign port inspections in 2023
MPA added that Synergy Marine had informed it about how the ship had experienced momentary loss of propulsion prior to the collision.
"As a result, it was unable to maintain the desired heading and collided with the Francis Scott Key bridge," MPA wrote.
As for the vessel itself, MPA said that its required classification society and statutory certificates covering structural integrity and equipment functionality were valid at the time of the incident.
The vessel also underwent and passed two separate foreign port state inspections in June and September 2023.
In the June 2023 inspection, a faulty monitor gauge for fuel pressure was rectified before the vessel departed the port.
Dali's next classification and statutory surveys are due in June 2024.
Top image via CBS News/YouTube