Workers used explosives to break down the last part of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Monday. The steel trusses fell down into the river with a big noise and a splash.
The bombs exploded with orange flashes and made lots of black smoke. The longest beams fell off the grounded Dali container ship and slid into the water, making a big splash.
It was a big step in getting the Dali unstuck from the wreckage. The Dali lost power and crashed into a bridge support column shortly after leaving Baltimore on March 26.
The building collapse caused the death of six construction workers and stopped a lot of ships from moving through the port in Baltimore. The planned demolition will help bring up the sunken ship and open the port for traffic again. This will help many workers and businesses that have been affected by the port closure.
Authorities said the explosion happened just as they wanted it to. They said they need to check the few trusses on the Dali’s bow and make sure there’s no underwater wreckage stopping the ship from being floated and moved.
“It’s like taking off layers from an onion,” said Lt. GeneralScott Spellmon from the United States. The Army Corps of Engineers.
Officials believe they will be able to float the ship again in a few days. Then three or four small boats will help bring it to a spot at the port. It will probably stay there for a few weeks and get fixed temporarily before it’s taken to a shipyard for bigger repairs.
“This was a very important step for our moving forward,” Col. Estee Pinchasin, who leads the Army Corps of Engineers in Baltimore, said right after the demolition. She said the teams don’t think they will need to use any more bombs.
The crew of the ship stayed on board during the explosion, and the captain said that no one got hurt and there were no issues. David O’Connell is in charge of the Port of Baltimore.
The crew members cannot leave the ship that has stopped moving since the disaster. Authorities mentioned that they have been occupied with taking care of the ship and helping the people who are looking into the situation. Out of all the crew members, 20 are from India and one is from Sri Lanka.
Engineers took a long time to get ready to use explosives to break apart a 500-foot-long bridge that weighs up to 600 tons. The destruction was delayed on Sunday because of heavy rain and lightning.
“Gov Wes Moore said that this way of doing things is the best. He mentioned at a news conference on Monday that nobody has been hurt while cleaning up so far. ” “Making sure everyone is safe in this job comes first for us. ”
Officials said that fire teams were ready in the area during the explosion in case any sparks caused problems.
This week, in a video, officials said that engineers were using careful cuts to control how the trusses break. They said the method is very precise and safe. It’s one of the best ways to remove steel when it’s under a lot of tension. The hydraulic grabbers will pick up the broken steel pieces and put them onto barges.
The NTSB and the FBI are looking into why the bridge collapsed. Authorities said that the safety board will look into the ship’s electrical system.
The big shipping company Maersk hired the Dali ship to go from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, but the journey didn’t go as planned. The people on the boat called for help because they couldn’t steer the boat and had no power. A few minutes later, the boat crashed into the bridge.
Government officials praised the teams that helped find the bodies of the six construction workers. The most recent body was found in the sunken wreckage last week. All the people who were hurt were Latino immigrants who moved to the U. SLooking for work. They were fixing holes in the road at night when the bridge was broken.
Authorities said the work to open the port’s 50-foot deep channel is still on schedule and should be finished by the end of May. Up until now, workers have made a temporary pathway that is not as deep. Authorities said that 365 ships used the port in the last few weeks. The port usually handles more cars and farming equipment than any other port in the country.
Nancy Pelosi, who used to be in charge of the House of Representatives, grew up in Baltimore. Her father and brother were once mayors there. She said that the Key Bridge disaster was like when Fort McHenry in Baltimore was attacked at night. This attack inspired Francis Scott Key to write the song “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the War of 1812. She said that both show how strong and tough Maryland is.
Pelosi, a member of the Democratic party from California, went to a news conference on Monday with two of her family members. She said that the different government agencies are working together quickly and safely to handle the tragedy well.
“She said that the flag was still there through the night. ” That’s Baltimore tough.