"Heartbreaking conclusion to a challenging day," Maryland governor says as Coast Guard ended search operation
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
People look out toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge following its collapse in Baltimore, Maryland on March 26. Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images
More than 18 hours after the collapse of the Baltimore bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said it was a heartbreaking conclusion after the Coast Guard ended the search-and-rescue operation for the six people who were on the bridge when it collapsed.
It's a "really heartbreaking conclusion to a challenging day," he said.
"We put every single asset possible — air, land and sea" to find the missing people, he told reporters on Tuesday evening. "While even though we're moving on now to a recovery mission, we're still fully committed to making sure that we're going to use every single asset to now bring a sense of closure to the families," the governor added.
9:05 p.m. ET, March 26, 2024
6 people presumed dead after Baltimore bridge collapse, Coast Guard says. Here's what we know
From CNN staff
As the sun sets in Baltimore, six people are presumed dead after a major bridge collapsed overnight Tuesday, according to the Coast Guard. The Francis Scott Key Bridge came down around 1:30 a.m. ET after a cargo ship collided with it.
What we know: Eight people were on the bridge when it fell, according to officials. At least two people were rescued — one was taken to the hospital and has been discharged. The Coast Guard has been searching for six other people. But, around 7:30 p.m. ET, the Coast Guard said it has transitioned to a “different phase” of operation, now it did “not believe we are going to find any of these individuals alive,” Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said.
About the ship: The bridge collapsed after a container vessel called Dali collided with one of its supports. The vessel is operated by Singapore-based Synergy Group but had been chartered to carry cargo by Danish shipping giant Maersk. The US Embassy in Singapore has been in contact with the country’s Maritime and Port Authority, a State Department spokesperson said.
The investigation: The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the collapse. A team of 24 experts will dig into nautical operations, vessel operations, safety history records, owners, operators, company policy and any safety management systems or programs, said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. A voyage data recorder will be critical to the investigation, she added.
Vehicles on the bridge: Officials are also working to verify the numbers of how many cars and people were on the bridge, Homendy said. Gov. Wes Moore said the quick work of authorities in closing the bridge had saved lives. Radio traffic captured how authorities stopped traffic and worked to clear the bridge seconds before the impact. Maryland State Police Secretary Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. said there is a “distinct possibility” more vehicles were on the bridge, but authorities have not found any evidence to support that.
The economy: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned the collapse will have a serious impact on supply chains. Until the channel is reopened, ships will likely already be changing course for other East Coast ports. Ocean carriers are already being diverted from the Port of Baltimore, where the bridge collapsed, to the Port of Virginia to “keep trade moving."
8:24 p.m. ET, March 26, 2024
NTSB will likely board the ship on Wednesday
From CNN’s Pete Muntean
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) team will likely board the MV Dali for the first time on Wednesday, Chair Jennifer Homendy told CNN.
“We will look for electronics throughout the vessel — anything we feel that could help us in the investigation,” she said.
Right now, investigators are identifying their first investigative targets, including who they will interview and which entities will be party to the investigation, Homendy said.
Investigators are also preparing to look at the structure of the bridge and any debris that fell to the Patapsco River and onto the ship itself, she added.
Of the 24 NTSB investigators on the scene, Homendy said a specialized team would determine who was controlling the vessel and who was on the ship’s bridge at the time of the crash.
8:52 p.m. ET, March 26, 2024
Ship suffered a total blackout before the collision with bridge, pilot association official says
From CNN's Yahya Abou-Ghazala
Aerial view of the Dali cargo vessel and collapsed bridge seen on Tuesday, March 26. Maryland National Guard/Handout/Reuters
The pilot of the ship that crashed into the Baltimore bridge Tuesday did “everything that he could have done” to slow the ship and keep it from drifting toward the bridge, said Clay Diamond, executive director and general counsel of the American Pilots Association.
Diamond has been in close communication with the Association of Maryland Pilots over what unfolded on the Dali cargo ship in the moments leading up to the crash.
“Just minutes before the bridge, there was a total blackout on the ship, meaning that the ship lost engine power and electrical power, it was a complete blackout,” Diamond told CNN.
At that point, according to Diamond, the pilot did “everything that he could have done” to both slow the ship down and keep it from drifting to the right, toward the bridge.
The pilot quickly gave a string of orders, calling for a hard rudder to port — as far left as possible — and for the anchor to be dropped.
Additionally, Diamond said, the pilot was the one who contacted the pilot dispatch office to shut down traffic to the bridge.
“Those were all the appropriate steps but it happened so quickly and with so little lead time ... neither one of those maneuvers were enough,” Diamond said.
Diamond pointed out that while the lights on the boat could be seen turning back on — likely due to an emergency generator activating after the initial blackout — the ship’s engines never got running again.
Maritime pilots, who are required to be licensed, temporarily board a ship and help guide the vessel as it maneuvers through local waters. Pilot training programs are extensive and rigorous, according to Diamond, requiring years of experience navigating ships on the water, classroom simulations, and working under the supervision of licensed pilots.
7:52 p.m. ET, March 26, 2024
Authorities will make their "best effort" to recover the missing people to help families find closure, official says
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Recovery efforts will be focused to find the missing people to provide closure to their families, said Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., secretary of Maryland State Police.
"At this point, we do not know where they are. But we intend to give it our best effort to help these families find closure," he said at a news briefing on Tuesday evening.
7:47 p.m. ET, March 26, 2024
Conditions have made it dangerous for first responders and divers to be in the water, official says
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., secretary of Maryland State Police, speaks during a press conference on Tuesday, March 26. CNN
Conditions have changed and made it dangerous for first responders and divers to be in the water around the collapsed Baltimore bridge, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., secretary of Maryland State Police, said at a news briefing on Tuesday.
This comes as authorities announced they're moving from a search-and-rescue operation to a recovery phase for the missing people.
"The changing conditions out there have made it dangerous for the first responders, the divers in the water," he explained. "We will still have surface ships out overnight."
Elaborating on the changing conditions, he said: "The last thing we want to do is put divers in the water with changing currents, low temperatures, very poor visibility, and so much metal and other an unknown objects in the water. All it takes is one object to strike an individual and all of a sudden we have a first responder trying to recover another first responder."
He said divers are expected to be back in the water at 6 a.m. ET on Wednesday when "we'll find ourselves in a better position to understand the dynamics of what we're dealing with, and to address the issues in a much safer manner."
The post was updated with more details on Butler's remarks.
7:45 p.m. ET, March 26, 2024
Authorities only have information on 6 missing individuals, Coast Guard says
From CNN's Tori B. Powell
The Coast Guard is only aware of six missing individuals following the bridge collapse in Baltimore harbor, Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said at a Tuesday news conference.
7:44 p.m. ET, March 26, 2024
No information to support that there were additional vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed
From CNN's Elise Hammond
A Maryland law enforcement official said while there is a "distinct possibility" that there could have been more vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed, they have not found any evidence to support that.
"As unfortunate as it may be, it's a distinct possibility. However, we don't have any information to support that at this point," Maryland State Police SecretaryCol. Roland L. Butler Jr. said.
Authorities have been able to find three passenger vehicles, a cement truck and a fifth vehicle submerged in the water using infrared and side-scan sonar technology, Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace previously told CNN.
Radio traffic captured how authorities stopped traffic and worked to clear the bridge seconds before the impact.
7:52 p.m. ET, March 26, 2024
Divers from various state and local agencies brought in to help with search
From CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn
Dive teams from various state and local agencies were brought in to assist in the search-and-recover operation after the collapse of the Baltimore bridge, Maryland State Police Secretary Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. said at a news conference.
Sonar was also used as part of the search and rescue operation, he added.
"From the outset, we’ve moved all those resources in,” Butler explained. “We’re doing our best in some very difficult times and difficult conditions.”
