Maryland Transit Authority (MTA) dispatch audio reveals exchanges between authorities during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday.
The bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River early Tuesday morning when it was struck by the container ship Dahlia, chartered by Danish shipping company Maersk. according to To the Associated Press. Several vehicles also fell into the water and authorities rescued at least two people, but at least six people are still missing. MTA dispatch audio shows authorities scrambling to shut down traffic on the bridge after receiving a “mayday” call from the ship.
“Hey, we need either the south side or the north side. Hold on a second, traffic on the Key Bridge. We’ve just got a ship that lost its rudder coming towards us, and we have to stop all traffic until we get it back under control.” “No,” one of the men was heard saying.
Another man answered, “On our way to the south.”
“Eh, there’s a traffic jam right now. I was dragging it. [inaudible] In front of the bridge. So I’m going to take it all and I’m going to have a traffic stop,” the other man answered.
“Are there any crew members working on the bridge right now?” one man asked, receiving two inaudible replies.
“Well, if you can stop traffic, just make sure there’s no one on the bridge right now,” one of the men said. (Related: Mayor has a few words to respond to bridge collapse)
“Well, we don’t know if there’s any crew there. Why don’t the foremen alert anyone and see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily?” another male voice says. I applied it.
“At 10:04, we’ll get on the bridge when the other troops arrive,” one of the men said. “I’ll have [inaudible] All traffic has stopped at this time. ”
“When we get here, we’ll grab the workers at Key Bridge. [inaudible]” said another man.
“[inaudible] At 13 o’clock, the whole bridge just fell down,” a man suddenly interjected. The entire bridge collapsed. ”
“[inaudible] Is the shipping correct? ” one man asked.
“That’s right,” the other man answered.
“At this time. Do you know how long the traffic was stopped?” one man asked.
“We can’t go to the other side, sir. The bridge is down,” the other man answered.
🚨 The crew of the ship that crashed into a bridge in Baltimore, USA, were all Indian. pic.twitter.com/gryCRY7ldh
— Indian Technology and Infrastructure (@IndianTechGuide) March 26, 2024
In the wake of the disaster, President Joe Biden pledged to rebuild the bridge, with federal funds covering “the entire cost.” NBC News report. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg abruptly canceled a trip to Cheyenne in the wake of the Baltimore bridge collapse and is heading to the site of the wreck on Tuesday. according to to the Ministry’s spokesperson.
