The quick action of Baltimore bridge workers has prevented a much greater tragedy. The container ship warned that it was suffering technical problems before the impact and that warning allowed the authorities in the area to cut off car traffic over the river and that there were only eight vehicles on the structure when it collapsed.

The ‘Dali’ ship began to turn at 1:26 (local time) this Tuesday, two minutes before the impact against the pillar occurred that would ultimately tear down the entire bridge, according to data verified by CNN. The authorities have ruled out any other hypothesis other than that of the accident, including terrorism.

The crew issued an SOS signal before impact

The governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, has explained to the media that the crew issued a ‘mayday’ before colliding against the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which ended up falling into the Patapsco River. The authorities came to cut off traffic, which has prevented many more cars from being involved in the incident.

The quick response of the workers helped save many lives. “These people are heroes,” said the governor.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the country under whose flag the ‘Dali’ was sailing, has assured in a statement that the company Synergie Marine informed them that, before the impact, the ship “had suffered a momentary loss of propulsion”a thesis that fits with the version provided by the US authorities.

“As a result (of these problems), it was unable to maintain the desired course and collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” explained the Singapore agency, which also indicated that the ‘Dali’ was able to release the anchor before the final crash.

six missing

Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld has confirmed that There were eight people on the structure at the time of the collapse.. Two of them have been located alive in the river by emergency services, while the search continues for six others who remain missing.

Regarding the state of the bridge, the governor has made it clear that it did not present any known deficiencies or structural problems, implying that He just couldn’t withstand the impact of the ship300 meters long and with capacity for up to 10,000 containers.

Local authorities have also clarified that the boat was being piloted at the time of the incident by a local expert and not by crew personnela common tactic in Baltimore to precisely avoid accidents when entering or leaving the port.