Baltimore bridge collapse: How Indian crew's mayday warning saved US from major disaster

The United States experienced a catastrophic event on Tuesday when a Singapore-flagged shipping vessel suffered a crucial power failure and slammed with the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge, plunging into the Patapsco River.

Following the collapse, US officials initiated a search and rescue mission after eight construction workers were reported missing. The team successfully recovered two workers, but the remaining six were presumed dead, triggering the suspension of the search operation on Wednesday morning.

While the US officials, including President Joe Biden, praised the workers involved in the search and rescue operation, Indian crew members onboard the Ship 'Dali' emerged as "heroes" after the Maryland Department of Transportation revealed that their alert assisted them in closing the bridge to traffic prior to the disastrous crash.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Biden described the Baltimore disaster as a "terrible accident," acknowledging that staff onboard the vessel notified the transportation department before losing control of the ship. He asserted the move "undoubtedly" helped them in saving countless lives.

Also Read: Baltimore bridge collapse: Who are the ‘presumed dead’ people?

Here's what happened after Indian crew's mayday alarm

After the Indian crew's mayday signal, a dispatcher issued a warning over the radio, stating that a huge cargo ship had lost its steering capabilities and was moving toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Following this, policer officers successfully stopped automobile traffic on the bridge within around 90 seconds, AP reported.

One official claimed that he was preparing to drive onto the bridge to inform the construction workers. However, it was too late.

Also Read: Netizens find uncanny similarities between Baltimore bridge collapse and scene from Leave the World Behind

Indian crew members onboard Ship Dali hailed as ‘heroes'

Speaking to reporters, Maryland Governor Wes Moore stated that the mayday call alerted workers to prevent the flow of vehicular traffic from coming onto the bridge.

“I have to say I'm thankful for the folks who, once the warning came up and once notification came up that there was a mayday, was literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge,” Moore said.

“These people (the Indian ship crew) are heroes. They saved lives last night,” he added.

Not only did Biden and Moore commend the crew members, included two local pilots, several netizens on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, applauded them for reducing the disaster's impact.

“The Indian crew on the ship probably saved lives and limited the disaster's impact because they were the ones there to take action when things went wrong. Hats off to their quick thinking and bravery in a tough situation!” one X user wrote.

Meanwhile, Synergy Marine Group, the vessel management company, informed that all crew members were safe and secure.

The six workers, who were presumed dead following the tragic incident, are from Latin American countries, including Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador.