The U.S. law enforcement had less than two minutes to stop traffic before a container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland, radio archives and dispatch calls surrounding the collapse reveal.
The most important call came from the Dali cargo ship itself, moments before the 985-foot-long vessel struck one of the 1.6-mile-long bridge's supports. The impact caused the bridge’s span to break and tumble into Baltimore’s Patapsco River, sending parts of the bridge into the river.
Prior to the crash, Dali made the mayday call on Tuesday morning and raised the alarm about losing power as it charged down the river. The call pushed law enforcement officers to quickly react and seal off traffic on the bridge.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland collapsed after being struck by a 985-foot-long ship
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Despite having less than two minutes, the officers acted swiftly and managed to prevent further casualties.
"I need one of you guys on the south side, one of you guys on the north side. Hold all traffic on the key bridge," one officer told his colleagues around 1:27 a.m.
"There's a ship approaching that's just lost their steering," the officer added.
Two other officers responded and followed instructions, after which one officer mentioned that there was a crew of eight construction workers working on the bridge to fix potholes at the time.
Dispatch calls from Tuesday morning revealed the panic that unfolded among officers during the collapse
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"Is there a crew working on the bridge right now?" he asked.
The first officer, who issued the initial orders, informed his team around 1:28 a.m. to find the crew and “get them off the bridge temporarily.”
An officer, occupied with stopping traffic, responded that he was waiting for a colleague to take over so he could make his way down the lane and “grab the workers on the key bridge.”
However, the tense situation saw another urgent message come through within about 10 seconds.
"C-13 dispatch! The whole bridge just fell down!" an officer said. "Star- whoever, everybody, the whole bridge just collapsed."
"Do we know if all traffic is stopped?" the first officer asked.
"The whole bridge just fell down!" an officer was heard saying
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"I can't get to the other side, sir, the bridge is down," the officer responded about half a minute later.
"10-4, all traffic on the key bridge is down, we got workers in the water," an officer said at 1:30 a.m., about two minutes after the Dali crashed into the bridge.
The collapse sent six of the construction workers into the water, and the men are presumed dead, officials later said.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore praised the crew aboard the ship for making the mayday call that alerted officers to quickly seal traffic on the bridge
Image credits: WBFF FOX45 Baltimore
After an extensive search effort that yielded no signs of survivors, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the suspension of its search and rescue operations for the six individuals who went missing following the collapse.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore called the people aboard the ship “heroes” for issuing the mayday call that alerted authorities to stop traffic on the bridge.
“These people are heroes,” the governor said. “They saved lives last night.”
People online were saddened by the tragic news of six crew members going missing
