The crew of the cargo ship that collided with the Baltimore bridge notified officials that they had lost power before the impact.
Authorities report that the incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, March 26, when a Singapore-flagged container ship named the DALI collided with one of the bridge's pylons, leading to the catastrophic collapse.
Kevin Cartwright, representing the Baltimore Fire Department, described the situation as a "mass casualty" event during an interview with CNN. He stated: "We are in the midst of managing a mass casualty multi-agency incident here."
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld disclosed that six individuals were missing, believed to be part of a construction crew repairing potholes on the bridge.
Sadly, those unaccounted for are now presumed dead.
"We are going to suspend the active search and rescue efforts. Coast Guard’s not going away, none of our partners are going away, but we’re just going to transition to a different phase," Gilreath stated, per CNN.
Prior to the collision, the crew on the ship notified officials that they had lost power, which could have saved many more lives.
"We’re thankful that between the mayday and the collapse, that we had officials who were able to begin to stop the flow of traffic so more cars were not on the bridge," Maryland Governer Wes Moore told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
Clay Diamond, executive director and general counsel of the American Pilots Association, explained that the pilot of the ship did "everything that he could have done" to avoid the tragedy.
"Just minutes before the bridge, there was a total blackout on the ship, meaning that the ship lost engine power and electrical power, it was a complete blackout," Diamond said.
Upon realizing they were in the midst of an emergency, the pilot called for the anchor to be dropped and for a hard rudder to port.
Diamond went on: "Those were all the appropriate steps but it happened so quickly and with so little lead time… neither one of those maneuvers were enough."
Maritime pilots go through extensive and rigorous training for their jobs - as they are the ones who guide vessels through local waters before handing them back over to the captain when the ship makes it to open water.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has stated that the bridge will be rebuilt in due course.
Calling the incident a "unique circumstance," Buttigieg said: "I do not know of a bridge that has been constructed to withstand a direct impact from a vessel of this size."
He went on: "There is no question that this will be a major and protracted impact to supply chains. It’s too soon to offer estimates on what it will take to clear the channel and reopen the port."
