March 26, 2024
Jasper Colt/USA TODAY NETWORK
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed into the Patapsco River on Tuesday morning after it was struck by a cargo vessel. Philadelphia officials said they'll offer support to Baltimore during its recovery.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and the Port of Philadelphia said Tuesday the city will provide support as needed to assist in Baltimore's recovery from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was struck overnight by a cargo ship that lost control due to a suspected power failure.
The U.S. Coast Guard's search for missing people continued Tuesday afternoon after two people were rescued in the morning. One person was hospitalized and another was injured. At least six people are missing after the 1.6-mile-long bridge, which is part of Interstate 695, crumbled into the Patapsco River around 1:30 a.m.
Parker called the incident a "terrible tragedy" and said the city is prepared to assist Baltimore "in any way we can."
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore today is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with the missing people and their families and everyone involved today.
— Mayor Cherelle L. Parker (@PhillyMayor) March 26, 2024
The Port of Philadelphia also said the maritime community stands ready to help Baltimore rebound. The port could be among several that will need to handle cargo diverted from Maryland.
The bridge over the Port of Baltimore was struck by a 985-foot long container vessel called Dali, which had been chartered by Danish shipping company Maersk and flew a Singapore flag. It was destined for Sri Lanka. As the ship left the Port of Baltimore, the crew notified Maryland officials that they had lost power and could be on course to strike the bridge.
Video of the collision showed Dali's lights power on and off twice before slamming into a support pillar on the bridge, which quickly fell apart and crashed into the water below. A construction crew was on the bridge at the time of its collapse, according to the Associated Press. Three passenger cars, a cement truck and a fifth vehicle have since been recovered from the river during the search and rescue mission.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Tuesday that the mayday call left authorities just enough time block off additional vehicle traffic from reaching the bridge at the time of the collision.
All vessel traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore has been suspended until further notice, officials said. The investigation of the crash will be handled by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The steel bridge, built in 1977, carried about 11.3 million vehicles per year and served as a vital link for one of the East Coast's busiest shipping routes by land and water. Baltimore's port is the largest for handling cargoes of autos, trucks, tractors and wheeled cranes, the Wall Street Journal reported. It also sees high volumes of coal, liquefied-natural gas, sugar and salt.
President Biden said Tuesday afternoon that he expects Congress will support his call for the federal government to pay the full cost to rebuild the bridge
The Francis Scott Key Bridge is vital to our economy, and it's vital to our quality of life.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 26, 2024
That's why I've directed my team to work with Maryland and move heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible.
The immediate impact the incident will have on longshoremen in Baltimore is expected to have ripple effects that will be felt in Maryland and could extend more widely.
"We are at a standstill, we make our living off of import and export cargo, unloading and loading, discharging and loading ships," Scott Cowan, president of ILA Local 333, told CNN. "This is going to put a very big strain on the economy in the state of Maryland because the port of Baltimore is one of the main engines, main drivers of the economy of Maryland, this is going to create a big problem."
