An “all Indian” crew of seafarers was manning the Dali cargo ship when it crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the structure to collapse and triggering what authorities are calling a mass casualty event.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River waters around the Port of Baltimore, Maryland on early Tuesday morning, when it was struck by an outbound cargo vessel called the Dali. The ship is owned by Singapore’s Grace Ocean Private Ltd and is managed by the Synergy Group, another Singaporean company that employs thousands of people, largely of Indian extraction, to ferry cargo around the world.
According to a public statement released on the Synergy Group’s website, the crew manning the Dali at the time it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge was “all Indian” and was composed of 22 members. Media reports have stated that, at the time of the incident, the Dali was being chartered by international shipping giant Maersk, and that two ship pilots were onboard.
“All crew members, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries,” the Synergy Group statement reads. “There has also been no pollution.”
The statement goes on to say that while “the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined, the ‘DALI’ has now mobilised its Qualified Individual Incident response service. The US Coast Guard and local officials have been notified, and the owners and managers are fully cooperating with Federal and State government agencies under an approved plan.”
While the cause of the Dali striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge is still under investigation, and will likely be ironed out into an easy-to-digest story before being peddled to the public, serious concerns have been raised that the crash was a planned event.
Video footage of the crash went viral online immediately after it was released, and it’s been pointed out that the Dali appeared to lose power and rapidly turn toward a striking point on the bridge just before the collision.
Watch the Video Footage of the Crash Below:
SAD AND TRAGIC IN BALTIMORE MARYLAND, CARS IN WATER, PEOPLE DROWNED: While you were asleep, a major bridge in Baltimore collapsed after it was hit by a cargo ship. (Watch the cargo ship under the bridge …left side)
NOTE: The Francis Scott Key Bridge carries Interstate 695, and… pic.twitter.com/elLP7fn7Yf
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) March 26, 2024
