White House says Baltimore bridge collapse was NOT terrorism and reveals there’s ‘no indication’ it was intentional – as rescuers race to pluck survivors from the freezing river
The White House has said there is no indication of ‘nefarious intent’ in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The ship involved in the collapse of the bridge is 948 foot long Dali, a Singaporean-flagged container.
It left Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal at 12:24am, at 1:25am, it began to slow and diverted off of its course.
It remains unclear what went wrong on the ship for it to strike the 1.6 mile bridge, with a White House official saying: ‘There is no indication of nefarious intent’.
Initial reports indicate that at least a dozen cars hit the 47 degree water in addition to 20 or so construction workers who were working on the bridge at the time.
The ship involved in the collapse of the bridge is 948 foot long Dali, a Singaporean-flagged container
The White House statement added that its ‘hearts go out’ to the families of those who are involved following the ‘horrific incident’.
It continued: ‘The US Coast Guard is conducting search and rescue for those who remain unaccounted for as a result of the bridge collapse.’
At the first press conference around 6:30 am, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace could only confirm that two people were pulled from the water.
One was unhurt, the other had to be rushed to a local hospital with ‘serious injuries.’
Wallace said that workers are looking for ‘upwards of seven’ people but that the number of missing could change as the collapse is a ‘very large incident.’
At the same press conference, officials ruled out terrorism as relating to the cause of the crash.
The rescue effort incorporates Coast Guard ships, local police boats, Baltimore’s Fire Department, volunteer fire departments from the surrounding areas as well as teams of divers as the desperate search for survivors goes on.
There appeared to be an explosion on the container ship as it collided with the bridge sending container and diesel flooding into the water. One of the vehicles that fell to the water was a tractor-trailer.
The ship involved in the collapse of the bridge is 948 foot long Dali, a Singaporean-flagged container
Initial reports indicate that at least a dozen cars hit the 47 degree water in addition to a 20 or so construction workers who were working on the bridge at the time
In a statement, Synergy Marine Group, who operates the Dali ship, said the vessel collided with a pillar of the bridge.
The company said: ‘Whilst the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the ‘Dali’ has now mobilised its Qualified Individual Incident response service.’
It added that all crew members, including the two pilots who were aboard, have all been accounted for.
US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said on social media that he was in contact with the mayor of Baltimore and the governor of Maryland, and had offered federal help.
‘Rescue efforts remain underway and drivers in the Baltimore area should follow local responder guidance on detours and response,’ he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
