Washington D.C: US President Joe Biden has praised the prompt action taken by the personnel on board the Cargo ship Dali, which struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore causing the bridge to plunge into the river below sending many people and vehicles under the water.
The shipping company Synergy Maritime Group which managed the Singapore-flagged freight ship on Tuesday has said that the entire 22 members of the crew are Indians. US President Joe Biden in a statement said that the personnel onboard the ship on time were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they lost control of their vessel prompting the local authorities to close the bridge to traffic before the disaster could be averted and were able to save lives of many people.
Biden further said that it was a terrible accident and without further investigation, it cannot be said that there was any intentional act in the accident. Six people who were missing after the accident have been presumed dead as per a statement by the Maryland State Police. Biden said that officials at the scene estimated eight people were unaccounted for still and the number might change. He also said that two people have been rescued one with injury and the other in critical condition. The search and rescue OP is continuing to find survivors.
The US President further said that the Port of Baltimore is one of the largest shipping hubs in the country. It handled a record amount of cargo last year and is the top port in America for both imports and exports of automobiles and light trucks. Around 850,000 vehicles pass through the port every single year and they will get it up and running as soon as possible.
Two construction workers from Guatemala are among the missing persons. The statement verified the identities of the two workers who went missing: a 26-year-old from San Luis, Peten, and a 35-year-old from Camotan, Chiquimula. At the moment of the bridge’s collapse, both people were members of the team sent to fix the asphalt. The statement said that the Guatemalan Consul General in Maryland has contacted the families of those impacted to offer support to the brothers of the missing workers, but it did not reveal the names of the missing workers.
The consulate in Maryland has confirmed that it is still in contact with local authorities and that the two missing people are of Guatemalan heritage.
