By Marisa Laudadio
7:08pm PDT, Mar 27, 2024
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Tragedy struck Baltimore in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024, when the Dali, a 948-foot-long cargo vessel bound for Sri Lanka, crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Within moments, the bridge — on which 30,000 commuters drive each day, Maryland officials have said — collapsed into the frigid waters of the Patapsco River below.
Hours later, The New York Times reported that though officials initially feared that drivers were submerged in their cars, that was, thankfully, not the case: Federal and Maryland officials told the Times that the Dali's crew issued a "mayday" message signaling they'd lost power and propulsion before the ship hit the bridge, which gave officials enough time to stop traffic at both ends.
However, it was confirmed that several construction workers who had been fixing potholes on the bridge at the time of the collapse were missing. Divers and other emergency workers on boats and in helicopters launched a search for the victims, two of whom were rescued. On March 27 — after the remains of two victims were recovered — officials called off the search and said that the other missing workers were presumed dead.
We're taking a look at photos from the bridge collapse, beginning with this image…
The Francis Scott Key Bridge is seen collapsed in the river after the Dali cargo ship ran into it in Baltimore on March 26, 2024, sending cars and people plunging into the frigid waters below. The vessel, which sails under the flag of Singapore, was traveling from Baltimore, Maryland, to Colombo, Sri Lanka, MarineTraffic confirmed.
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The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024, when it was struck by the Singapore-flagged Dali container ship, sending multiple vehicles and people plunging into the frigid harbor below.
There was no immediate confirmation of the cause of the disaster, but Baltimore's Police Commissioner Richard Worley said there was "no indication" of terrorism.
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Rescue personnel work along the shore of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, after a container ship ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing its collapse in the early morning hours on March 26, 2024.
Maryland's Governor Wes Moore told CBS on March 27 that divers were dealing with a "treacherous situation" as they searched for six men who were working on the bridge when it collapsed. "We're talking about frigid temperatures, we're talking about a moving tide, we're talking about darkness and mangled metal, that's still very much in the middle of this water," he said, adding that "the heroism of our first responders was just outstanding."
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The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge lies in the water after it collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024, after being struck by the Singapore-flagged Dali container ship, sending multiple vehicles and people plunging into the frigid harbor below.
There was no immediate confirmation of the cause of the disaster, but Baltimore's Police Commissioner Richard Worley said there was "no indication" of terrorism.
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The Francis Scott Key Bridge is seen resting partially collapsed after a cargo ship ran into it in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024.
According to Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James W. Wallace, a search operation was launched to locate at least eight people believed to be in the waters of the Patapsco River following the incident.
"Sonar has detected the presence of vehicles submerged in the water," he added.
The Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali was traveling from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, MarineTraffic confirmed.
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The Dali container vessel is pictured after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, early on March 26, 2024.
The commuter bridge collapsed after being struck by the container ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water and halting shipping traffic at one of the most important ports on the U.S. East Coast.
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Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early on March 26, 2024, after a support column was struck by a vessel.
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Rescue personnel work on the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, after a container ship ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing its collapse in the early morning hours on March 26, 2024, plunging cars and people into the frigid waters below.
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In this aerial image, the steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024, when it was struck by the Singapore-flagged Dali container ship, sending multiple vehicles and people plunging into the frigid harbor below.
There was no immediate confirmation of the cause of the disaster, but Baltimore's Police Commissioner Richard Worley said there was "no indication" of terrorism.
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The Francis Scott Key Bridge is seen collapsed after the Dali cargo ship — the vessel, which sails under the flag of Singapore, was traveling from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, MarineTraffic confirmed — ran into it in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024, sending cars and people plunging into the frigid waters below.
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The Francis Scott Key Bridge is seen collapsed in the river after the Dali cargo ship — the vessel, which sails under the flag of Singapore, was traveling from Baltimore, Maryland, to Colombo, Sri Lanka, MarineTraffic confirmed — ran into it in Baltimore on March 26, 2024, sending cars and people plunging into the frigid waters below.
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The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024, when it was struck by the Singapore-flagged Dali container ship, sending multiple vehicles and people plunging into the frigid harbor below.
There was no immediate confirmation of the cause of the disaster, but Baltimore's Police Commissioner Richard Worley said there was "no indication" of terrorism.
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A container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024, causing the bridge to collapse, plunging vehicles into the frigid water.
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The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in the river after the Dali cargo ship ran into it in Baltimore on March 26, 2024, sending cars and people plunging into the frigid waters below.
The vessel, which sails under the flag of Singapore, was traveling from Baltimore, Maryland, to Colombo, Sri Lanka, MarineTraffic confirmed.
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Rescue personnel gather on the shore of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, after a container ship ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing its collapse in the early morning hours on March 26, 2024.
A search operation was launched to locate at least eight people believed to be in the waters of the Patapsco River following the incident.
"Sonar has detected the presence of vehicles submerged in the water," Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James W. Wallace confirmed to media.
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The Francis Scott Key Bridge is seen resting partially collapsed after a cargo ship ran into it in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024.
According to Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James W. Wallace, a search operation was launched to locate at least eight people believed to be in the waters of the Patapsco River following the incident.
"Sonar has detected the presence of vehicles submerged in the water," he added.
The Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali was traveling from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, MarineTraffic confirmed.
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The Francis Scott Key Bridge is seen collapsed after the Dali cargo ship — the vessel, which sails under the flag of Singapore, was traveling from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, MarineTraffic confirmed — ran into it in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024, sending cars and people plunging into the frigid waters below.
