Early Tuesday morning on March 26, 2024, Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed due to a Cargo Ship colliding with the base of the bridge. Hours after the collapse, the crew aboard the ship sent a message that everyone on board was ok. However, sadly, officials say there were six reported deaths related to construction crew on the bridge at the time of the collapse.

“It’s sad to think the people on the bridge had no idea that the bridge they worked on would collapse that day,” said Ammar Mubarez (11).

One of the crew members, Andy Middleton, was aboard with the captain. He explains that the ship was heading towards the coast of south Africa following the conflicts happening in Yemen. It’s said that the ship decided to take a different route to avoid Yemen, taking the Port at Botany Bay, instead of the ship’s normal path.

Reporters gained access to the ship’s voyage data recorder, which is essentially the ship’s black box recorder. It was reported that the vessel Deli had a complete blackout aboard the ship, knocking out the power and engine in the ship. The crew sent a last-minute mayday out right before hitting a crucial point of the bridge, but by that time, it was too late to help them.

The ship contained 1.5 million gallons of oil on board. Although, the containers on board contain hazardous materials, they are reported to pose no threat to the public. The ship was also carrying 4,700 containers filled with goods, and it is unknown if there are plans to extract the goods from the wreckage. The crew has been tasked to stay on board to scan the ship for any further dangers it could pose to the area.

Col. Estee S. Pinchasin of the Army corps stated, “The recovery is not an afterthought, it’s integrated in that plan.”

Cleaning up in the bay and nearby areas started rapidly after the wreckage. Reports say that the cleanup of debris has removed about 200 tons of metal from the bay so far. Workers began using a crane capable of lifting about 1000 tons of debris. The port of Baltimore responded by opening several temporary channels in the bay, and they expect full channel access by the end of May.