The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was live-streamed on YouTube as it happened during the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 26.
The harrowing scene instantly made its way to screens across the globe and instigated conversations about the cause, the quality of the infrastructure, and, naturally, the casualties. Inaugurated in 1977, the steel bridge crossed the Patapsco River and was named after “The Star-Spangled Banner” writer Francis Scott Key.
Was the Baltimore bridge collapse intentional?
A pillar of the Key Bridge near the Baltimore Port was hit by a container ship at 1:30 am EDT, causing it to fall apart and collapse into the river. According to the Associated Press, the ship issued a mayday call after it lost power, allowing authorities to limit traffic into the bridge, which carried Maryland Route 695.
The outlet also reported that Maryland governor Wes Moore revealed during a conference that a preliminary investigation indicated the crash was an accident and not a pre-meditated act of terrorism. The mayor of Baltimore issued a state of emergency and deployed rescue efforts. Per the latest reports, authorities were looking for at least seven people in the water, workmen had been repairing potholes on the bridge at the time of the collapse, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld revealed. Six of the workers are still unaccounted for, while two people have been rescued, one of whom was in serious condition.
The vessel, called Dali, was flying under a Singapore flag and was headed to Sri Lanka, per the Associated Press. “It was last inspected in September 2023 in New York, and no deficiencies were reported at the time,” the news agency said.