Six presumed dead in Baltimore bridge collapse

On a fateful day in Baltimore, tragedy struck as a bridge collapsed, leaving six individuals presumed dead. The city was left in shock and mourning as the news spread like wildfire. The collapse of the bridge not only took the lives of innocent people but also raised questions about the safety and maintenance of infrastructure in the city.

As rescue teams worked tirelessly to search for survivors amidst the rubble, families anxiously awaited news of their loved ones. The incident served as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of ensuring that proper measures are taken to prevent such disasters from occurring.

By Tuesday evening, search-and-rescue efforts for six people who were working on the bridge when it collapsed had transitioned into a recovery mission, Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon N. Gilreath said.

“We do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive,” he said, noting the water temperature and the amount of time that had passed since the ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused it to collapse around 1:30 a.m.

Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, earlier said that one person had survived. Their names were not released.

Footage of the crash also showed the 984-foot long vessel, which had been chartered to carry cargo by Danish shipping giant Maersk, was in the wrong part of the channel as it approached the bridge.

The ship crashed into a pillar toward one side of the bridge instead of crossing under the middle of the bridge, where the clearance is highest.

“The container ship must have significantly damaged the support structure, and a bridge of this span, if the support structure loses its or even displaces significantly, that could be enough to cause the bridge to fail,” Hajjar says. “And once that support structure goes, the distance to the next supports on either side are too far.”

Hajjar continues: “It’s possible that as the support failed, it was essentially pulling down the bridge as well. But even if the bridge had just been bearing on it, if that support structure starts to fail, and it permits the bridge to deflect down significantly — that’s enough to cause the failure.”

Ryan Petersen, the CEO of Flexport, a supply chain management company, said Americans should expect shortages of goods in the coming weeks. He predicted the collision would create a “vicious feedback loop” that would resonate beyond Baltimore’s economy.

The Port of Baltimore’s private and public terminals handled 847,158 cars and light trucks in 2023, the most of any US port. The port also handles farm and construction machinery, sugar, gypsum and coal, according to the Maryland State Government website.

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Sarah H

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