Body camera footage captures the chaos and shock of the situation when Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officers first witnessed the aftermath and debris of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse on March 26. .
That morning, the Sri Lanka-bound Dali container ship, 984 feet long, collided with the Key Bridge and collapsed into the Patapsco River below, killing six construction workers.
But when DNR officers arrived on the scene, they didn’t realize what they were about to see.
Fox News Digital obtained 18 videos from the DNR that give first-hand accounts of what officers saw when they arrived at the scene of the collapse.
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The Key Bridge collapsed around 1:30 a.m. on March 26, and DNR personnel began arriving at the disaster scene nearly an hour later, although other first responders had already arrived at the scene.
One video shows a DNR officer arriving at the scene and speaking with another law enforcement officer to get an update on what he is about to experience.
“How long have you guys been on scene?” asked a DNR officer.
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Body-worn cameras from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources showed the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsing into the water. (Maryland DNR)
“It took more than an hour. We rescued one person from the water. There are four more people out there somewhere, but we can’t get them because they were all in the crashed vehicle,” said another. said a law enforcement officer.
By approximately 3:15 a.m., a DNR officer pulled up next to the Dali, where he saw one of the crew members and asked if anyone had been injured in the accident.
The passengers could not be heard on the video, but DNR officials confirmed with the person that one person sustained injuries to his hand.
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources body camera video shows reaction to the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26, 2024. (Maryland DNR)
The officer asked if the person needed medical attention and was told that the pilot, who was already on board, was calling for help.
Up until that point, no one had come on board to care for the person.
More than three hours had passed, but it was still unknown how many people had fallen into the water as a result of the disaster.
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Debris of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains aboard the container ship Dali as President Biden conducts an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Friday, April 5, 2024. Viewed from a companion aircraft. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Senator)
Camera footage recorded first responders working to assess the number of victims in the water.
One respondent was heard saying no one was doing anything, and another asked how many people were in the water.
One official responded, “We’ve heard various numbers, but we don’t know.”
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A section of the bridge from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge is suspended from the container ship Dali in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., March 26, 2024. (Army Corps of Engineers/Handout via Reuters)
“10-4, proceed with caution,” first responders said before being warned there was a large amount of debris in the water.
At 5 a.m., the sun hadn’t yet risen, when one of the DNR officers could be heard talking to another person about what he had seen.
“Hey, this is terrible,” he said. “It’s like there’s no bridge, it’s like there’s no bridge.”
He described what he saw when he arrived at the scene.
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Body camera video by Maryland Department of Natural Resources personnel shows reaction to the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26, 2024. (Maryland DNR)
“Are you kidding me? It feels like something is missing in the skyline here…the entire center span is completely gone. It’s in the water,” the officer said.
As well as messages from the boat five minutes before it hit the bridge, there is also another conversation filmed between two officers asking questions about what this disaster means for Baltimore.
“Why… five minutes after we took off, you said you were going to attack,” the co-pilot said.
The second officer suggested that the captain could have dropped an anchor or something to prevent the huge ship from hitting the bridge.
“This is devastating,” one of the men said.
“Baltimore’s infrastructure will take a hit,” said another.
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Six bodies have been pulled from the submerged rubble since the bridge collapsed.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced last month that the state would create scholarships for the families of workers killed in traffic accidents.
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
