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What we know about the condition of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and how this sort of collapse could happen
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesay morning after one of its columns was hit by a large container ship. Video of the bridge shows it buckle and crash into the river below after the Dali, a massive 948-foot cargo ship, hits it, sending vehicles and people into the river below. Here’s what we know about the condition of the bridge and how this sort of collapse could happen.
An active search and rescue mission in the Patapsco River below is ongoing and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what happened.
During its latest federal inspection, the Key Bridge scored a six out of nine, which is considered fair, a condition it had been labeled since 2008, according to CBS Baltimore.
The bridge passed inspection in May 2022, but there was concern with one of its columns. The reinforced concrete column – like the one hit by the ship – was downgraded from a health index, or condition rating, of 77.8 to 65.9.
Ben Schafer, professor of civil and systems engineering at Johns Hopkins University, told CBS News that most bridges in the U.S. fall in this “fair” range, which is “not what we would want or suspect” as a society. But, he said, the massive ship – not the condition of the Key Bridge – is likely to blame for its collapse.
“Like others, I’ve watched the video a bunch of times and have gone frame by frame and worked up a few different hypothesis in my mind, but I see little evidence for anything other than: the boat strike took a bridge with two supports and took away one of them and then it fell in the water,” Schafer told CBS News. “I mean, doesn’t seem to be super more complicated than that.”
Many bridges – whether a suspension bridge or an arched bridge – require two supports under the portion of bridge that goes over water, Schafer said. “This is the minimum number to cross over,” he said.
“The container ship was as wide as it was as tall,” Schafer said, adding that it was of similar scale to the bridge. “So the mass that’s associated with that container ship creates an amount of energy that a small concrete pier isn’t going to sustain. That’s an accident that we can’t allow to happen and expect the bridges to stay up.”
Schafer said in the late 1800s, the Quebec Bridge, which had a similar design to Baltimore’s Key Bridge, collapsed, which taught engineers many lessons about truss bridges. But by the 1970s when the Key Bridge was built, the design used was modern and sufficient.
Schafer said there is a lesson to be learned here, but it’s likely not that changes to a bridge’s design would help prevent an accident like this. He said the way shipping traffic is managed, or the size of container ships – which have likely increased since the 1970s when the bride was built – should be considered when trying to understand the risk of these types of accidents.
Robert Sumwalt, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told CBS News on Tuesday the video of the accident holds some clues about what could have happened. The lights of the ship flashes off and on, which would indicated an electrical power failure, he said. Authorities confirmed the ship did lose power before the crash.
Black smoke is also seen coming out of the ship, which Sumwalt said likely means “ship’s crew is trying to increase the RPMs across the propeller to increase the steering capability of it.”
All of the crew members on the Dali were accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries among the crew. Sumwalt also said the ship’s audio recording device likely captured conversations happening on the ship as well as other data like the angle of the rudder. “There will be a lot of information to help piece this back together,” he said.
The four-lane Key Bridge is 1.6 miles long and was used by some 31,000 people a day, according CBS News Baltimore. Sumwalt said only two other tunnels cross the Patapsco River, so without the bridge, access will be limited.
A construction crew was filling potholes on the bridge at the time of the accident. Two workers have been rescued from the water but six still remain unaccounted for, Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said during a news conference.
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Floods, landslides struck parts of Bosnia as residents slept, leaving at least 16 dead and several missing
A severe rainstorm struck Bosnia overnight Friday, killing at least 16 people in floods and landslides in several towns and villages in central and southern parts of the country, with surging waters rushing into people’s homes as they were sleeping.
Rescue services in the south said several people were missing and called on volunteers and the army to assist as roads were closed and houses left without electricity.
Josip Kalem, a resident of Fojnica, one of the towns hit by the floods, said his dog’s barking woke him up at around 4 a.m. When he came out on the terrace, he saw the water rising rapidly.
“I came down, woke up my wife, and we looked around, we could not get out of the house. We saw more and more water coming in,” he said. “All of a sudden, the water was flooding the garage, basement, my car — everything. The water swept it all away, including my dog. Flood took it downstream.”
Andja Milesic, another resident of Fojnica, also said she was caught by surprise in the middle of the night.
“When I woke up, my bedroom floor was already soaked. I walked into the hallway — water was everywhere — the living room, everywhere,” she said. “It was horrible.”
Armin Durgut / AP
Darko Juka, a spokesman for the local administration, said at least 14 people had died in and around the southern town of Jablanica. Officials later said two more bodies have been found.
“Those are the ones who have been discovered by rescuers,” he said. “We still don’t know the final death toll.”
“I don’t remember such a crisis since the war,” Juka said referring to the 1992-95 war in Bosnia that left the country in ruins. “The scale of this chaotic situation is harrowing.”
Defense Minister Zukan Helez told N1 regional television that troops have been engaged to help and that the casualties were reported.
Helez said that “hour after hour we are receiving news about new victims. … Our first priority is to save the people who are alive and buried in houses where the landslides are.”
A pregnant woman lost her baby after she was rescued from the floods and transferred to a hospital in the regional center of Mostar. Authorities said doctors were fighting for her life as well. Separately, a child was successfully rescued and hospitalized, local officials said.
Rescue services in the towns of Jablanica and Kiseljak said the power was off overnight and mobile phones lost their signal.
The Jablanica fire station said that the town was completely inaccessible because roads and trainlines were closed.
“The police informed us that the railroad is also blocked,” the state rescue service said in a statement. “You can’t get in or out of Jablanica at the moment. Landline phones are working, but mobile phones have no signal.”
It urged people not to venture out on the flooded streets.
Human-caused climate change increases the intensity of rainfall because warm air holds more moisture. This summer, the Balkans were also hit by long-lasting record temperatures, causing a drought. Scientists said the dried-out land has hampered the absorption of floodwaters.
Armin Durgut / AP
Drone footage broadcast on Bosnian media showed villages and towns completely submerged under water, while videos on social networks showed dramatic scenes of muddy torrents and damaged roads.
One of the busiest roads linking Sarajevo with the Adriatic coast via Jablanica was swept into a river, together with a railway line in a huge landslide, according to photos.
“Many people are endangered because of big waters and landslides. There is information about victims and many injured and missing persons,” said the civic protection service.
Authorities urged people to stay on the upper floors of their homes. Reports said surging waters swept away domestic animals and cars as the water swiftly filled up lower floors of buildings.
The heavy rains and strong winds were also reported in neighboring Croatia, where several roads were closed and the capital of Zagreb prepared for the swollen Sava River to burst its banks.
Heavy winds have hampered traffic along the southern coast of the Adriatic Sea, and flash floods caused by heavy rain threatened several towns and villages in Croatia.
Floods caused by torrential rains were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, where some villages were cut off and roads and homes flooded.
In 2014, floodwaters triggered more than 3,000 landslides across the Balkans, laying waste to entire towns and villages and disturbing land mines leftover from the region’s 1990s war, along with warning signs that marked the unexploded weapons.
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Floods, landslides struck parts of Bosnia as residents slept, leaving at least 16 dead and several missing
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