Baltimore bridge collapse: How it happened

Lost power, a mayday call and a crash that brought down Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge killing six people. Here is how the tragedy unfolded.

A around-the-clock live stream of a bridge sounds about as dramatic as watching paint dry.

But if anyone happened to be viewing the feed of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge at 1.24am on Tuesday (local time), they would have seen five minutes of footage which the city’s mayor Brandon Scott later compared to “something out of an action movie”.

The Dali, a 300-metre container ship, was cruising towards the bridge when its lights went out. Smoke billowed from the ship as it neared a reinforced concrete column.

Cargo ship Dali is seen after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Picture: Getty Images

The ship’s lights briefly came back on before it lost power again. The next two minutes unfolded like a slow motion car crash, even though authorities later said the ship was travelling at a “very rapid speed” at the start of its 27-day journey from the US to Sri Lanka.

Unable to change course, the Dali collided with the bridge at 1.28am. Barely 40 seconds later, the bulk of the 47-year-old structure crashed into the depths of the Patapsco River, taking with it eight construction workers and their vehicles.

Back on the shore, Cameron Nemitz woke up to what he figured was thunder. Aubrey Hopkins and Shane Tumlinson thought they were disturbed by a loud plane flying overhead.

A satellite image captures the moment the ship crashes into the bridge. Picture: Satellite Image

Listen to dispatch audio after Baltimore Bridge collapse

When the sun rose, and they walked down to the water near their homes, they could scarcely believe their eyes. All day, they and others peered out with cameras and binoculars.

“When you look at it, it’s even more surreal. It looks like AI,” Hopkins said.

But it was all too real for those at the centre of the catastrophe.

In the mad scramble to avoid colliding with the bridge, the Dali’s crew made a mayday call that Maryland Governor Wes Moore later said saved lives.

“I need one of you guys on the south side, one of you guys on the north side,” an official said over Baltimore’s police radio channel at 1.27am.

Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott speaks after the cargo ship ran into and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Picture: Getty Images

“Hold all traffic on the Key Bridge. There’s a ship approaching that’s just lost their steering so until they get that under control, we’ve got to stop all traffic”

“I’m not sure if there’s a crew up there. You might want to notify whoever the foreman is, to see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily.”

About a minute later, another voice piped up in a far more panicked tone.

“The whole bridge just fell down,” he said. “The whole bridge just collapsed.”

Eight years ago, the Dali also collided with a pier while leaving a port in Belgium, with authorities blaming a mistake by the ship’s crew. Its safety record otherwise appeared to be relatively clean, although inspectors in Chile last year identified a minor propulsion problem. The ship was cleared during a follow-up check the following day.

The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of the container ship Dali after the bridge collapsed. Picture: AFP

As for the bridge itself, Moore said it was “fully up to code” and a Maryland Transportation Authority inspection last year concluded it was in “overall satisfactory condition”.

All of this left the people of Baltimore with even more questions than answers.

Some wondered why tug boats were not guiding the ship. Others could not fathom why the Dali did not change course, although a navy veteran assured them that would have been all but impossible.

Conspiracy theories even spread despite authorities ruling out terrorism.

Looking at the wreckage from nearby Stoney Beach, Ed Tormollan said: “I didn’t believe it at first, truthfully.” It was the same for Logan Kenney, who took his dog Atlas for a walk to “see it for myself” after hearing the news.

People look out toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge, following its collapse. Picture: AFP

Figuring out what went wrong will ultimately be up to the National Transportation Safety Bureau. Its chair Jennifer Homendy spoke to reporters on Tuesday afternoon in front of the remainder of the bridge’s north end – a four-lane ramp that disappeared into thin air.

But there was little she could say.

Her investigators were yet to board the ship to collect evidence because they did not want to interfere with the rescue effort. While two construction workers were saved, the search for their colleagues appeared futile.

Originally published as Baltimore bridge collapse: How it happened