Explained: The long list of bridge collapses in US
The famed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, United States (US) collapsed into the Patapsco River at 1:30 am (Eastern Time) on Tuesday after a cargo ship crashed into one of its pillars. A substantial part of the bridge plunged into the river's 185-meter-deep waters, taking vehicles and eight laborers with it. Two people were rescued, one with serious injuries, as the rescue officials ended their operation. However, this is not the first time that such an incident has happened.
Notable US bridge collapses due to ship collisions
A 2018 report from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure revealed that from 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collisions, resulting in a total of 342 fatalities. Eighteen of those collapses occurred in the US. These included incidents at Popp's Ferry Bridge, Interstate 40 Bridge, Queen Isabella Causeway, Eads Bridge, Big Bayou Canot, Seeber Bridge, and Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
US bridge accidents with most casualties
In May 2002, a barge hit the Interstate 40 bridge over Arkansas River at Webbers Falls, leading to 14 deaths and injuring 11 people. The 1980 Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse claimed 35 lives when a freighter knocked out a support column, causing a 1,400-foot section of the roadway to fall. In September 1993, a towboat pushing barges struck the Big Bayou Canot railroad bridge. Shortly after, a train derailed on the displaced bridge—resulting in 47 fatalities and injuring 103 others.
Baltimore Crash: 6 presumed dead, Coast Guard ends operation
Meanwhile, six people are presumed dead in the Baltimore crash as the US Coast Guard ended its search late on Tuesday. An official announcement on the casualties is awaited. Notably, all six men were road repair crews addressing pothole issues on the bridge. The authorities stated that the men fell in the river waters which had a temperature of 8 degrees the upper limit of cold temperature humans could survive.
Baltimore incident triggers emergency in US state
In light of the incident, Maryland's Governor Wes Moore has announced a state of emergency. The state is collaborating with US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to probe the incident. Meanwhile, search operations transitioned from rescue to recovery and were suspended until Wednesday morning due to challenging overnight conditions. Separately, President Joe Biden has announced his plans to visit Baltimore at the earliest and assured that the federal government will bear all costs related to reconstructing the bridge.