Indian embassy condoles Baltimore tragedy; ship alert saved lives, says Biden

The Indian embassy in Washington has condoled the Baltimore disaster, in which, a cargo ship manned by a 22-member Indian crew hit a key bridge and brought it down, leaving six people dead.

"Our heartfelt condolences to all affected by the unfortunate accident at the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore,” the embassy in the US capital said in a post on X.

Embassy hotline

It said the embassy had set up a dedicated hotline for any Indian citizen who may be affected or need assistance due to the tragedy. It said it was ascertaining details regarding the vessel's crew.

Several vehicles were crossing Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, which is more than 2.6 km-long, when it collapsed after the container ship headed to Sri Lanka moving at great speed collided with one of the bridge's supports on Tuesday.

The Singapore-flagged ship 'Dali' suffered a "power issue" and issued a distress call moments before the crash.

Biden’s praise

US President Joe Biden said the alert sent by the ship's crew before the collision saved lives.

Biden said the alert that the crew had lost control over their vessel helped the Maryland Department of Transportation to close the bridge to traffic before the bridge was struck, saving lives.

All crew members, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and were not injured in the accident.

Missing workers

Some of the individuals missing after the collapse of the bridge are Mexican nationals. Two of the construction workers missing were from Guatemala.

Biden said the Port of Baltimore is one of the largest shipping hubs in the US and it handled a record amount of cargo last year.

Around 850,000 vehicles go through that port every single year and 15,000 jobs depend on that port.

Busy bridge

On a daily basis, more than 30,000 vehicles cross the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which is one of the most important elements for the economy in the northeast.

The bridge crosses over the Patapsco River and its construction was completed in 1977. The bridge has a traffic volume of 11.3 million vehicles.