Sobering footage shows devastating wreckage of Baltimore bridge as workers presumed dead

Newly released footage has revealed the extent of damage caused by the cargo ship Dali when colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The vessel veered off course and collided with the Baltimore bridge just before 1.30am on Tuesday morning (26 March).

A state of emergency was called following the incident in Maryland, USA.

The ship departed the Baltimore port at 12.45am local time and was headed for Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The container ship Dali lost power minutes before its eventual collision with the famous bridge at 1.28am, destroying it in less than 40 seconds.

None of the 22 crew members on the ship were injured, but rescue services reported that 'several vehicles' and numerous people had fallen into the Patapsco River, despite a mayday call clearing the bridge of civilians.

It was reported that there was a team of eight construction workers fixing potholes on the bridge, with two people being rescued shortly after.

There is a search team looking for remaining members of the team, as a Baltimore City Fire Department spokesperson declared it a 'mass casualty event'.

Six missing construction workers are presumed dead, according to Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon N. Gilreath.

Despite live footage capturing the events and members of the public filming the aftermath shortly after, new chilling footage has been released of the wreckage.

NTSB

Posted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the footage caught by the drone followed the length of where the bridge used to be, before slowing down to observe the cargo ship and its impact location.

It highlights the severity of damage caused by the Singapore-owned cargo ship, though plans are in place for the bridge to be rebuilt as soon as it is possible to do so.

The footage reveals that the entire bridge has collapsed into the Patapsco river, and the stranded ship has been left in place to preserve the remains of the structure of Francis Scott Key bridge.

Helen Delich Bentley Port is now set to be shut down for some time, as authorities search for the bridge's debris.

US President Joe Biden addressed the situation: “We’re going to do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers.”

“It’s going to take some time, but the people of Baltimore can count on us though to stick with them every step of the way, ‘til the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt.

“We’re not leaving until this job gets done."

NTSB

Prior to the accident, crew members attempted to get propulsion back following an issue with the motor, which had failed.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore credited the ship's crew, as transport officials were alerted and halted traffic going over the bridge.

Moore said: “I have to say I’m thankful for the folks who once the point came up and notification came up, that there was a mayday.

“Who literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge, these people are heroes. They saved lives.”

The bridge, which was named after the poet who wrote the words to the US national anthem, opened in 1977 and would see 11.3 million vehicles cross annually.