At 1:29 AM EST, the cargo ship MV Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the bridge to collapse. This shocking incident has shocked the world and has so many asking “how did this happen?”.

The Dali had departed the Port of Baltimore at 12:44 AM that night to head to Colombo, Sri Lanka. At 1:24 AM, the ship suffered a “total blackout” and drifted out of the shipping channel. At 1:27, a mayday call was dispatched to MDOT (Maryland Department of Transportation), notifying the possibility the ship could strike the bridge, one of the ships pilots requested a stop to traffic on the bridge. Baltimore police were dispatched to stop traffic before the ship could strike the bridge. The ship dropped their anchors before the ship hit the bridge but it was no use. At 1:29, the ship struck the southwest pier of the central truss arch span, causing the bridge to break into several pieces. All of these radio communications have been released by MDOT in the days following the collapse, the quickness of these communications has been credited with minimizing the deaths. 

The Coast Guard and Baltimore PD were notified of the collapse seconds later, residents near the bridge reported the collapse “sounded like an earthquake” in a statement to AP. Workers were on the bridge working on fixing potholes at the time of the bridge collapse and were taking a break in their vehicles. Rescue teams recovered two persons from the water, one injured and one uninjured. Two deceased workers were recovered from the water, while four other workers are presumed dead. Only one member of the Dali was injured, while the rest were unharmed.

The National Transportation Safety Board has begun an investigation into the incident. Demolition crews have begun removing the mangled wreckage. Maryland Governor Wes Moore has called the disaster a “global crisis” and that the incident will do damage to the economy of the state and Baltimore, as for the recovery, Moore has called the situation “complex” and said there is no timeline to recovering the four bodies. The Maryland General Assembly has scrambled to help provide aid to workers and protect jobs. President Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have offered support to the state and to the city of Baltimore. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has emphasized the recovery operation and ensuring the safety of Baltimoreans in the wake of the collapse. Sadly many of these moves by Governor Moore and Mayor Scott have been overshadowed by flurries of racist and derogatory attacks to them on social media. 

For updates, go to the MDOT website and check Baltimore news sources if you are a resident of the area.