TRIBUTES FOR SIX ‘HUMBLE’ VICTIMS
Tragedy rocks city as $300m-a-day port shuts down
The six road workers believed killed when a container ship slammed into the Baltimore bridge they were repairing were “hardworking, humble men” who had migrated from South America.
Questions have been raised over the safety of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed into the Patapsco River 40 seconds after being hit by a 300m-long container ship, the Dali, just before 1.30am on Tuesday (local time).
A mayday call from the ship moments before it hit enabled authorities to stop motorists entering the bridge and averted a much bigger disaster.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore credited the pilots and crew of the Singapore-flagged Dali with saving lives after they raised the alarm shortly after leaving the city’s harbour. Footage of the incident appears to show the Dali twice losing power – its lights flickering on and off – shortly before it struck one of three pylons at about 1.27am.
Jesus Campos, who worked on the bridge last month and was friends with the road crew who had no time to escape, said they were “hardworking, humble men”.
“They were working so they could send money home to their countries,” he told local TV. “It’s too much to bear right now, because all the families are at home waiting for the phone calls.”
Several outlets named one of the victims as Miguel Luna, with his wife Maria del Carmen Castellon telling local TV: “(We feel) devastated, devastated because our heart is broken, because we don’t know if they’ve rescued them yet. We’re just waiting to hear any news.”
The crew of eight workers was taking a break from fixing potholes on the 2.57km bridge when the ship hit. Two people were quickly rescued but specialist divers were unable to find their six colleagues in freezing conditions and amid mountains of debris.
“At this point, we do not believe we are going to find any of these individuals still alive,” US Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said as the search was suspended at 7.30pm on Tuesday.
And while US President Joe Biden promised to cover the cost of rebuilding the bridge, Baltimore and the broader region face months of disruptions, with motorists losing one of three vital river crossings and cargo ships blocked from entering or leaving one of the country’s busiest ports.
Maryland State Police Superintendent Roland Butler said there was a “distinct possibility” that other vehicles were on the bridge when it collapsed, although authorities did not have “any information to support that” after frantic searches using underwater drones and sonar.
Mr Moore said the collapse had been a tragic accident and that safety on the bridge was “fully up to code”, but at least one regular user expressed his concern.
Bill Wise, who runs a guttering business and lives near the bridge, drove his truck across it daily and said the safety railings were derelict in some places and he had told his staff to drive carefully when crossing the river. “I take the truck on the bridge every day and it has never felt safe. It’s more like you bounce across, rather than drive,” he said.
The Dali had two pilots and 22 Indian crew members on board, none of whom were injured. It had recently returned to the US from Panama and was 20 minutes into a 27-day journey to Sri Lanka. Shipping giant Maersk, which chartered the vessel, said in a statement: “We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected.”
Mr Biden vowed to fund the rebuilding of the bridge, which was opened in 1977 and was named after the author of America’s national anthem. It was used by 30,000 commuters every day.
“This is going to take some time but the people of Baltimore can count on us to stick with them at every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt,” the President said.
Mr Moore said Baltimore’s port was the busiest hub for shipping cars in the US, and that it generated $US191m ($292m) of economic activity every day, supporting as many as 8000 jobs.
Shipping companies were scrambling to divert vessels on Tuesday night. Americans were warned to expect shortages of goods while the port remains closed for an indefinite period as the collapsed bridge sits in the harbour.