American President Joe Biden reacted on Tuesday March 26 to the “terrible accident” that occurred in Baltimore (Maryland), in the United States, where a container ship hit a highway bridge and caused its collapse. The suspension of maritime transport to and from the port was announced by the authorities. Mr. Biden called for it to reopen as quickly as possible.
The White House tenant said he would allocate “all necessary federal resources” to rebuild the bridge. At the same time, major rescue operations are taking place in the port to try to find survivors.
• What happened ?
During the night from Monday to Tuesday, a Singapore-flagged container ship, named Dali and 300 meters long, bound for Sri Lanka, collided with a pile of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore (Maryland), in the United States. In a matter of seconds, almost the entire bridge collapsed into the water, dragging vehicles with it.
Shortly before the collision, the ship had appealed for help to the authorities, saying it had a technical problem, which made it possible to cut off some road traffic and save lives, according to Wes Moore, the local governor. Boats, helicopters, divers and sonar were deployed to try to find survivors. According to images broadcast by American television channels, the ship ran aground on a pillar of the bridge.
• How many victims?
Rescuers are searching the water and the seabed for at least six members of a team of eight workers who were working on the bridge at the time of the accident, according to the latest report. Two people have already been taken out of the water by emergency services. One person was taken to a hospital in serious condition while a second was released unhurt, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said.
For the moment, no information has been given on the people who may have been trapped in cars that fell when the bridge collapsed. The fire chief said sonar spotted vehicles in the water, but he could not provide further details. No members of the Dali's crew were injured, according to Synergy Marine Group, the shipping company operating the container ship.
• What caused the disaster?
During their call for help shortly before the accident, the crew of the container ship explained that they were faced with a breakdown in the ship's propulsion system. “As a result, it was unable to maintain course in the desired direction and collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” the Singapore Port Authority said on Tuesday. Video surveillance images show the container ship's lights going out twice in the minutes preceding the tragedy as well as smoke around the ship.
The Dali had dropped anchors before the accident, in accordance with emergency procedures, according to Singaporean authorities, this maneuver aimed at slowing down the ship. US authorities have repeatedly stated that there was “no indication” of a terrorist act.
Experts have already expressed doubts about the strength of the bridge, several arches of which have been destroyed along a large length. Even if the container ship has a powerful force of inertia, especially with its cargo, "the extent of the damage to the superstructure of the bridge seems disproportionate to the cause", commented to Agence France -Press Professor Toby Mottram, a structural expert from the British University of Warwick.
• And now ?
Shortly after the bridge collapsed, Maryland's governor declared a state of emergency and said, "We are working with a multi-agency team to rapidly deploy the Biden administration's federal resources. » Marine traffic has been “suspended until further notice” in Baltimore. The port is one of the largest in the United States.
Priority is given to rescue operations and searches for victims. Emergency services are also monitoring the possibility of an oil leak. Finally, the authorities are already preparing for the significant economic consequences of cutting the bridge, a crucial highway axis on the Atlantic coast of the United States, a country where truck transport plays an essential role.
