The six workers, who went missing after a cargo vessel rammed into a bridge in the US city of Baltimore, have been presumed dead. The treacherous conditions in the icy-cold water have made search and rescue difficult, forcing the dive team to suspend the operations about 18 hours after the accident.
U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath told reporters that there was no hope of finding the missing workers alive due to the frigid water and the length of time elapsed since the accident. "We do not believe that we are going to find any of these individuals still alive," Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath added.
Baltimore State Police Colonel Roland Butler said authorities hoped to return divers to the water after sunrise on Wednesday to recover the workers' remains.
Eight people were on the bridge when it collapsed after the Singapore-flagged container vessel named Dali, heading out of Baltimore Harbor bound for Sri Lanka, ploughed into a support pylon of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the mouth of the Patapsco River at about 1:30 a.m. local time. While two people were rescued, one was taken to the hospital and has since been discharged.
The vessel is operated by Singapore-based Synergy Group but had been chartered to carry cargo by Danish shipping giant Maersk. The entire 22-member crew of the cargo ship were Indians and all were safe.
The ship issued a 'May Day' call after a power failure before impact, which enabled officials to stop traffic on the bridge before the collapse.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Washington condoled the "unfortunate accident" and was in the process of ascertaining details regarding the vessel's crew. "Our heartfelt condolences to all affected by the unfortunate accident at the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore," the Indian Embassy said in a post on X.
The Embassy said it has created a dedicated hotline "for any Indian citizens that may be affected/require assistance". The "Dali" had an all-Indian crew of 22 people onboard, according to ship management company Synergy Marine Group.
Grace Ocean Private Ltd owns the vessel with a capacity of 10,000 TEU, with onboard units totalling 4,679 TEU. The vessel's tons deadweight is 116,851 DWT.
US President Joe Biden too hailed the crew of the vessel for alerting transportation personnel about losing control of the vessel. This helped authorities close the Baltimore Bridge to traffic before the devastating collision. "Personnel onboard the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of their vessel. As a result, local authorities were able to close the bridge to traffic before the bridge was struck, which undoubtedly saved lives, Biden said in remarks made in the White House.
Biden said that the investigation into the collision so far indicates that this was a terrible accident. "At this time, we have no other indication, no other reason to believe if there is any intentional act here," Biden said.
