Officers of the The Maryland Transport Authority Police Dispatch and Response can be heard stopping traffic and inquiring about crew members working on the bridge before it collapsed yesterday in an audio recording released on the day.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed at 1.30am local time (5.30am Irish time) after a container ship named the Dali struck a pylon of the bridge, crumpling almost the entire structure into the water.
The collapse had left six workers missing, who are now presumed dead.
The container ship “lost propulsion” as it was leaving port, and crew on board notified Maryland officials they had lost control of the vessel, ABC News reported, citing an unclassified US intelligence report.
Governor of Maryland Wes Moore said it was the quick thinking of workers and police that saved lives when the ship steered towards the bridge.
“Many of the vehicles were stopped before they got onto the bridge, which saved lives in a very, very heroic way,” Mr Moore told reporters at a news conference at the site of the accident.
Baltimore ship black box found, search for bodies goes on
