Audio after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed features a police officer asking ‘everybody’ to help.
A state of emergency was called yesterday morning (26 March) when a container ship struck the bridge in Baltimore, USA.
The Dali ship had departed the Baltimore port at 12:45am local time, and had lost all power minutes before colliding with the bridge around 1:30am. Within seconds, the bridge was destroyed, falling piece by piece into the Patapsco River.
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None of the 22 crew members on the ship were injured but six people who were plunged into the cold water when it collapsed are presumed dead, with two others rescued earlier in the day.
The Dali’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash, which allowed authorities to limit traffic seconds before the bridge collapsed.
Rushing to stop traffic on the Key Bridge moments before it was destroyed, in audio from dispatch an officer can be heard saying: “I need one of you guys on the south side, one of you guys on the north side, hold all traffic on the Key Bridge. There's a ship approaching that just lost their steering so until we get that under control, we've got to stop all traffic.”
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And then, not long after they discuss alerting the team of road workers, it was too late.
Another officer saw the bridge falling apart as they said: “The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever ... everybody. The whole bridge just collapsed."
As another also said: “I can't get to the other side, sir. The bridge is down.”
Live footage captured the harrowing event when the ship struck a column of the 1.6 mile bridge.
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Footage showed the container ship Dali's lights flickering then shutting down before hitting the bridge.
When the motor failed onboard, multiple alarms blared, alerting crew and the two pilots as the ship continued towards the bridge.
According to CBS News, the crew ran numerous tests to try and get propulsion back following an issue with the motor.
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Following these failed efforts, the pilot immediately alerted the Baltimore transportation authorities.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore credited the ship's crew, as transport officials halted traffic going over the bridge following the warning.
Moore stated: “I have to say I’m thankful for the folks who once the point came up and notification came up, that there was a mayday,
“Who literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge, these people are heroes. They saved lives.”
Jess Battison