Collapsed Baltimore bridge blasted into pieces
US crews in Baltimore have set off controlled explosions to allow them to remove a portion of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge from the bow of the massive container ship that toppled the span in March.
The detonations on Monday were meant to break the bridge’s truss into small sections, enabling salvage crews to use cranes and barges to haul away the twisted metal wreckage, the US Army Corps of Engineers said. The work, originally planned for Sunday, was delayed because of weather conditions.
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In the early morning of March 26, the ship, the Dali, lost power and crashed into a bridge support, sending the span into the Patapsco River, with a major portion draped over the Dali’s bow. Six construction workers were killed.
The incident initially halted traffic at the Port of Baltimore, which ranks first in the US in several cargo categories, including autos and light trucks, farm and construction machinery, imported sugar and imported gypsum, according to the state of Maryland.
Since the crash, four temporary channels have been opened, allowing for some shipping to resume. The Corps said it aims to restore port access to full capacity by the end of May.
In April, the FBI opened a criminal probe into the collapse. Safety investigators recovered the ship’s “black box” recorder, which provides data on its position, speed, heading, radar, and bridge audio and radio communications, as well as alarms.
