An eerie video clip obtained exclusively by HNGN shows the container ship that brought down Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge after being torn open by wreckage from the span.
The 1-minute cellphone recording offers the first close-up look at the aftermath of the violent collapse that left six construction workers presumed dead by their employer after they disappeared while working on the bridge early Tuesday.
Two other people survived, with one still receiving treatment at Baltimore's R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.
Video exclusively obtained by HNGN shows the first up close look at the crash of the Dali freight ship into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge as responders use flashlights to survey the wreckage. pic.twitter.com/fdBx0BDbkx
— HNGN (@HNGNcom) March 26, 2024
The video surfaced during a day of fast-moving developments, as:
- Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said searchers were battling "difficult" conditions due to the cold water and strong currents at the scene of the collapse.
- Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said that "many of us are scared right now" but added, "We haven't seen any credible evidence of a terror attack." Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott also called the bridge collapse an "unspeakable tragedy."
- The National Transportation Safety Board began probing the incident, with Chair Jennifer Homendy saying that a team of 24 investigators started arriving at the scene by 6 a.m. The Coast Guard was assisting in the investigation and continuing to search for the missing construction workers.
- The Port of Baltimore -- which handles more cars and trucks than any other port in the nation -- was closed indefinitely, signaling potential disruptions to the U.S. auto industry.
- President Joe Biden said he wanted the federal government to pay the entire cost of rebuilding the bridge and he called on Congress to act quickly to provide funding.
The video was made before dawn after the ship, the Dali, lost power and plowed into one of the bridge's columns around 1:30 a.m., causing much of it to quickly collapse into the Patapsco River.
The video, shot from a boat as it approached the freighter's port side, shows a huge section of the bridge's steel trusses smashed into the ship's deck near the bow, with large pieces of crushed and torn sheet metal dangling over the side.
At one point, a muted voice can heard speaking, with the words, "Copy that," clearly audible.
The chain holding the ship's anchor extended into the murky water, directly below where the Dali's name was painted in white letters on the dark blue hull.
A spotlight traced the damage as the boat maneuvered past the bow to the ship's starboard side, where the falling trusses tore a gaping hole in the hull.
Some of the twisted white metal rested amid the wreckage and extended into the water while other, partly submerged pieces jutted out of the river and towered over the ruined ship.
The video ends shortly after the camera captured a square, blue object with a flat top either floating in or sticking out of the water nearby.
