United States: US President Joe Biden congratulated the Indian crew on the Dali ship, which crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, leading to its collapse. However, the crew made sure that they warned the authorities, which led to the closure of the bridge and avoided the loss of innocent lives.
On Tuesday the Baltimore key bridge fell after it was hit by a large cargo vessel. Workers and a few vehicles also fell into the Patapsco River because of that.
According to the Firstpost.com reports, the initial reports of six workers missing were confirmed today with the unfortunate news that the missing workers are considered ‘presumed dead.’
The US Coast Guard made the decision to call off the search operation as it was believed there was ‘no hope’ for the survivors despite the Coast Guard’s best efforts to locate the missing men owing to the frigid water conditions and the length of time that had elapsed since the accident.
Moreover, two people were rescued by the officials in charge, including one in critical condition, and the other decided to reject medical attention.
The Promptness of the Indian crew saved many lives
According to the reports, all the 22 Indian crew members who were unhurt in the mishappening reportedly lost control of the ship. They, henceforth, warned the Maryland transport authorities before the fateful crash took place.
Biden, while giving his statement at the White House about the incident, said, “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,” as firstpost.com reports stated.
He mentioned that the current investigation confirms “that this was a terrible accident. At this time, we have no other indication – no other reason to believe there was any intentional act here.”
Reconstruction of the bridge by Govt
Biden emphasized that the US federal government will cover the whole bridge reconstruction cost, as the bridge was among the longest continuous truss bridges upon its completion back in 1970s.
He stated, “I told them we’re going to send all the federal resources they need as we respond to this emergency, and I mean all the federal resources. And we’re going to rebuild that port together.”
The construction of the Baltimore Bridge cost USD 141 million, which is about USD 735 million in today’s terms, according to a New York Times report.
The Indian Embassy in the USA expressed its condolences for the unfortunate victims who crashed and also released the respective hotline numbers for Indians who needed assistance.