Bridge Section Blown Up in Baltimore to Free Ship – Six Dead in Tragic Accident

In the US city of Baltimore, rescue workers blew up parts of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge to free it from the container ship that hit it at the end of March.

Once the vessel is free, it can be moved and shipping traffic to and from the Port of Baltimore can resume. That’s been pretty much non-stop for weeks. Salvage workers say blowing up sections of the bridge is a “huge step” in freeing the ship.

In late March, the cruise ship Dali entered a pier on the Francis Scott Main Bridge in Baltimore, northeast of Washington. The bridge collapsed and six road workers, all immigrants from Latin America, ended up in the water. So far, five of the six bodies have been found.

The morning after the bridge collapsed, the damage was clearly visible:

Because the Dali is stuck between the remains of the bridge, the boat cannot move in any direction yet. The 21-member crew has not been allowed to leave the ship since the accident.

According to authorities, they are “busy maintaining the vessel and assisting the rescuers.” There are 20 Indians and Sri Lankans on the Dali plate.

The channel should be completely free for shipping traffic again at the end of this month. This was not possible earlier due to the complex operation and bad weather.

Various investigations are underway into the accident. The federal police service FBI, investigative service NTSB and local administrators, among others, have launched an investigation.