The latest on the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse
Maryland governor and other officials visit the scene of the bridge collapse
From CNN’s Gabe Cohen
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and several other officials were taken to the scene of the collision on Wednesday, his spokesperson told CNN.
“The governor surveyed the recovery area to further assess the damage. He along with other federal and local partners boarded a Coast Guard ship to receive a closer view and a better understanding of the ship’s path and how this incident occurred,” the spokesperson said.
“This is part of the Governor’s efforts to continue the strong working relationship with the Coast Guard along with our federal partners, thank first responders working on the scene, and to learn more about the events that took place,” the spokesperson added.
Other officials included Sen. Ben Cardin, Mayor Brandon Scott, Congressman David Trone, County Executive Johnny Olszewski and County Executive Steuart Pittman.
NTSB is leading the bridge collapse investigation. This is what investigators are working on
From CNN staff
Investigators are focusing on how a massive cargo ship collided into a key Baltimore bridge — and whether any preventative measures could have helped mitigate the bridge collapse.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said. The board will try to determine what occurred onboard Dali and also look at the structure of the bridge itself.
Here’s what the NTSB is working on:
- Investigators boarded the ship overnight and retained the vessel’s recorder or black box, she said. They will use this to put together a timeline of what led to the ship hitting the bridge.
- In this, the NTSB will look to verify reports that the ship had power issues and lost propulsion just before hitting the pillar, Homendy said.
- A team of 24 investigators planned to return to the vessel on Wednesday to focus on collecting the perishable evidence, including pictures of the vessel, she said.
- Investigators will also begin interviews with Dali’s crew. A specialized team will determine who was controlling the vessel and who was on the ship’s bridge at the time of the crash.
- The NTSB will additionally look at the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the debris that fell into the water or onto the ship, Homendy said. It will determine whether there were other measures that “should have been in place to prevent this type of destruction from occurring,” she said, including things like “dolphins” and “fenders,” structures aimed at protecting the bridge.
7 Brawner Builders employees were on the bridge when it collapsed, executive tells CNN
From CNN’s Danny Freeman and Linh Tran
Seven Brawner Builder employees were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge on the night of the collapse, Brawner Builders Executive Vice President Jeffrey Pritzker told CNN.
One survived, and the other six are presumed dead.
“These were wonderful young men,” he said. “They were doing a tough job. These guys were hardworking wonderful people and now they’re gone.”
Pritzker told CNN he doesn’t know how the worker managed to survive, saying the survivor isn’t ready to talk about his experience yet but he is “very, very upset,” has injuries and is suffering from stress.
“It’s amazing that he did survive,” Pritzker said, adding that the worker was able to swim away.
Most of the seven men have worked for Brawner Builders for years, according to Pritzker and were doing concrete remediation work, including filling potholes on the Key Bridge on the night of the collapse.
Pritzker also said the owner of Brawner Builders spent the night of the collapse praying their people would be found alive.
When it became apparent the other six employees were presumed dead, the owner and seniors in the company gathered the families together and spent the morning with them.
“We will make sure the families are well taken care of,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker said the company is in the process of putting together compensation packages for the families.
10 ships are stuck inside the Port of Baltimore besides the Dali, officials say
From CNN’s Matt Egan
Ten ships in addition to the Dali are stuck inside the Port of Baltimore following the collapse of the Key Bridge, federal authorities said Wednesday.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics said the following vessels are stranded behind the fallen bridge:
- three bulk carriers
- one vehicle carrier
- two general cargo ships
- an oil/chemical tanker
- three logistics naval vessels
Officials also cited a container ship, a reference to the Dali, the vessel that collided with one of the supports of the Key Bridge on Tuesday morning.
There is also an additional vehicle carrier in the port but outside the bridge.
Man from Guatemala identified as one of the missing construction workers after Key Bridge collapse
From CNN’s Danny Freeman and Caroll Alvarado
One of the construction workers missing from the bridge collapse in Baltimore is Dorlian Castillo Cabrera from Guatemala, family members told CNN on Wednesday.
Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified Tuesday two of its nationals among those unaccounted for: a 26-year-old from San Luis, Petén, and a 35-year-old from Camotán, Chiquimula. The 26-year-old is Dorlian, his cousin confirmed to CNN.
Here’s what his family told CNN about Castillo Cabrera:
What his sister-in-law said: He had been working at Brawner Builders for at least three years and loved his job. He was not married and did not have children, Pima Castillo said.
What his cousin said: Castillo Cabrera came to the US to follow his dream and help his mother, Marlon Castillo said. “Unfortunately, he was in a place where no one imagined what was going to happen.”
Biden spoke with Maryland governor and other top officials to discuss bridge collapse
From CNN’s Sam Fossum
President Joe Biden met with top officials in the Oval Office Wednesday on the ongoing federal, state and local response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, according to the White House.
He met with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg as well as US Coast Guard Vice Admiral Peter Gautier, and he spoke to Gen. Scott Spellmon.
Biden also spoke with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and reiterated his administration’s support for the people of Baltimore.
What we learned about the Baltimore bridge collapse today as the investigation continues
From CNN staff
Investigators are working to learn more about what happened after a massive cargo ship collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, causing it to collapse. A team from the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, went aboard the ship to gather evidence.
Meanwhile, cold water temperatures and choppy waters are affecting divers’ attempts to find the six bodies of those missing, who are presumed dead.
Here’s where things stand:
- Workers missing: Three Mexican nationals were among the people on the bridge when it collapsed — two of them are presumed dead and one person was rescued. A father of three from El Salvador has also been identified as one of the missing, as has a father of two from Honduras — both of whom had lived in the US for almost two decades. And two Guatemalans are among those unaccounted for. The US State Department said it will reach out to any countries whose citizens were impacted.
- What to do about the debris: The Coast Guard is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to remove the parts of the bridge that are sitting on the bow of the ship so that it can be moved out of the way, according to Vice Adm. Peter Gautier. Dozens of containers with hazardous materials are among the more than 4,700 cargo containers that remain on the ship, he said, but they are not a threat to the public.
- Dangerous conditions: Search and recovery operations have resumed after they were halted overnight due to dangerous conditions, including “very unstable” sections of the steel bridge and shipping containers hanging from the cargo ship, Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace told CNN. Divers also have little visibility at the bottom of the river, officials said previously.
- Environmental impacts: There are no drinking water intakes near the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collision that could compromise drinking water quality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said. The agency has at least two regional officials in the field with the Coast Guard to help with assessments, according to an EPA spokesperson.
- Paying for repairs: There is not yet a cost estimate for damages due to the collapse or a timeline of how long the bridge will take to rebuild, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. He vowed to hold any private company found liable for the incident accountable and added that the bridge was not designed to withstand the impact from the 200-million-pound container ship.
- Coming up later today: The NTSB will give an update Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. Baltimore remains in a state of emergency, Mayor Brandon Scott told CNN. He says he expects it to remain in place for the “foreseeable future.”
Dali cargo ship suffered “severe electrical problem” while docked for 2 days before crash, port worker says
From CNN’s Eve Brennan in London
The Dali cargo ship was docked in Baltimore days prior to the crash and was facing a “severe electrical problem,” a port worker told CNN’s UK affiliate, ITN.
Julie Mitchell, co-administrator of Container Royalty, a company that keeps track of the tonnage on container ships that comes into Baltimore, said the ship was in the port for two days.
“And those two days, they were having serious power outages… they had a severe electrical problem,” Mitchell said. “It was total power failure, loss of engine power, everything.”
She said refrigerated boxes kept tripping breakers, while mechanics had generators running while they were trying to fix the ship. CNN is unable to independently verify the information.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Tuesday that the crew of the ship notified officials that it had lost power prior to the crash.
Mitchell said these types of power problems are “not really that common at all,” calling Tuesday’s incident “very rare.”
“They shouldn’t have let the ship leave port until they got it on under control,” she said, adding that she did not know whether the issue was fixed before the ship set sail.
CNN has reached out to the operator of the ship, Synergy Group, for comment.
NTSB will hold a news conference at 8 p.m. ET on Key Bridge collapse
From CNN’s Chris Boyette
The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a news conference Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Remember: NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy told CNN this morning that investigators were able to board the Dali ship overnight and that interviews with crew members would begin today.
