Maryland Governor, Wes Moore says the cargo ship that collided with the Baltimore Key bridge was moving towards the bridge at a “very rapid speed” and lost power.
He said the cargo ship’s operators called a “mayday’ – an emergency signal – but the vessel’s speed appeared to be too fast to avoid the incident.
Moore said the container ship lost power before crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River along with people and vehicles.
“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,” Moore said.
Moore noted that the bridge was up to code at the time of the collapse. He said the collapse was a “shocking and heartbreaking” event for the people of Maryland who have used the bridge for 47 years.
At least six people believed to be part of a construction crew that was repairing potholes on the bridge remain unaccounted for, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said at a news conference Tuesday.
Two people were pulled from the Patapsco River, Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James Wallace said. One was not injured and the other was taken to a local trauma center in “very serious condition,” he said.
The crew of the ship notified officials that it had lost power prior to the crash, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said, noting the warning likely saved lives.
Several vehicles are believed to have fallen into the water, including one as large as a tractor-trailer, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications of the Baltimore City Fire Department said early Tuesday.
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