The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed that one of the Indian crew members aboard the cargo ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse sustained minor injuries.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, Mar. 26 when the 984-foot ship 'Dali' collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River, causing it to plunge into the water. The majority of the ship’s crew was identified as Indian.
Giving details on the status of the Indian crew members, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a weekly media briefing stated, "Our information is that there are 21 crew members, of which 20 are Indians. All of them are in good shape, good health. One of them got injured slightly, needed to have some stitches, and stitches have been given. And, he has gone back to the ship.”
He added that the Indian Embassy in the United States remains in close communication with both the crew members and local authorities.
The Singapore-flagged container ship 'Dali' was departing from Baltimore en route to Sri Lanka when it collided with the concrete pier supporting the bridge, causing the entire structure to collapse into 50 feet of water. Prior to the collision, a Mayday call had been issued by the ship after it experienced a loss of power.
CCTV footage revealed the ship going dark moments before the crash, with a puff of smoke visible after the collision. Regrettably, the incident led to the presumed deaths of at least six individuals, who were part of a construction crew working on repairs to the bridge. However, two workers were successfully rescued.
Divers recovered the bodies of two of the missing workers on Mar.27 while four others remain unaccounted for and are presumed dead due to the extensive time elapsed since the collapse and the icy water conditions. The workers, including immigrants from Honduras and El Salvador, were submerged in approximately 25 feet of water near the mid-section of the collapsed bridge.
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