International
The collapse of a bridge in Baltimore due to the crash of a freighter causes six missing persons
The collision this Tuesday of a container ship against Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge caused the total collapse of that structure that crosses the Patapsco River and so far leaves six missing, in whose search federal, state and local agents are involved.
The event took place around 1:30 local time (5:30 GMT). The freighter Dali lost propulsion, according to the first indications, and ended up being embedded against the bridge, built in 1977, through which about 35,000 vehicles a day cross and which rose to fame in the past as the setting for the series ‘The Wire’.
The alert given by the ship itself allowed the entry of vehicles into the area to be stopped and lives were saved, but there were workers on the spot who were repairing the asphalt: two were injured, one of them serious, and six others are still missing.
At first there was talk of 20 people with unknown whereabouts, but that figure was lowered shortly after. In their search, a helicopter, three boats of the coast guard and teams of divers participate.
The Secretary of Transport of Maryland, Paul Wiedefeld, indicated that the low temperature of the water, its depth, of about 15 meters, and the darkness when the event occurred make the work difficult.
The priority is to find the missing, the mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott, told the press in one of the many appearances organized throughout the day to offer the latest details about what happened.
It is already known that there are no signs of a terrorist attack. The FBI is involved in the investigation, as every time there are events of this scope, and its special agent Bill Delbagno specified that there is no “specific or credible information that suggests that there are links to terrorism.”
Everything indicates that it was an accident. The Singaporean company Synergy Group, which operates the ship, announced that none of its 22 crew members were injured, while the Danish multinational Maersk confirmed that it had temporarily rented the ship, named Dali, and that it was transporting cargo from the company.
The Dali has a gross load capacity of 95,000 tons and 300 meters in length. In 2016, it hit the pier in the port of Antwerp (Belgium), according to Vessel Finder.
The port was paralyzed and only the loading and unloading activity of the trucks is allowed. The area is also blocked to traffic and the press, which can only be accessed about 1.6 kilometers away, from where you can see the ship blocked with its containers and the bridge turned into a tangle of steel.
The local authorities do not yet want to talk about the economic cost of the impact. “A bridge can be rebuilt, our focus is on the people,” said the mayor, while the governor of Maryland specified that not only will it be built again, but it will be made in memory of those affected.
The bridge that collapsed is the largest in the state of Maryland. It is 2,632 meters long and owes its name in honor of the poet Francis Scott Key, author of the lyrics of the American anthem.
Its construction began in 1972, its structure crosses the lower part of the Patapsco River between Hawkins Point and Sollers Point and runs through it the I-695 highway, whose traffic was diverted this Tuesday until further notice.
The governor of Maryland, who declared a state of emergency in the area, stressed today that the entire state is in “shock.”
Baltimore is its most populous city, with just over 600,000 inhabitants in the urban center and 2.7 million in its metropolitan area, and its port, located in Chesapeake Bay, is the most important in the United States for the trade in vehicles and agricultural equipment.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, ordered the reconstruction of the collapsed bridge and the reopening of the port, now blocked, as soon as possible.
“I have ordered my team to move heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible,” Biden said in an address.
The president also announced that the federal government will advance the funds to pay for the reconstruction of the bridge.
“We will send all the federal resources you need while we respond to this emergency. And I mean all federal resources. And we are going to rebuild this port together,” said the US president.
“My intention,” he added, “is for the federal government to pay the total cost of the reconstruction of that bridge. And I hope that Congress will support my effort.”
Biden later clarified that the idea is for the Government to advance the money until the responsibility of the container carrier is determined.
An inspection last June in the Chilean port of San Antonio found problems in the “propulsion and auxiliary machinery” of the Dali cargo engine, with the Singaporean flag and that on Tuesday caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the port of Baltimore, according to the Equasis database consulted by EFE.
The inspection, dated June 27, 2021, found deficiencies in propulsion and more specifically in “measuring devices, thermometers, etc.”
Those problems caused two subsequent inspections, but the freighter, with 300 meters in length and capacity to carry 95,000 tons, was not stopped and was able to continue operating, after solving the deficiencies.
The Dali, which began operating in 2015, had another problem in its history, when in July 2016 it collided with a mooring in the port of Antwerp (Belgium) and suffered damage to the hull.
International
Pope Francis meets former Gaza hostages
Pope Francis met on Thursday at the Vatican with 16 Israelis who had been held hostage in Gaza for months by the Islamist group Hamas, according to the official Vatican news website.
The group consisted of ten women, four men, and two children, as reported by the same source. Several of the former hostages showed the Argentine pontiff banners or photos of their loved ones who remain in captivity.
Francis had previously met with the families of hostages in April this year and November 2023, but this was the first time he had met with individuals who had personally endured captivity.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began, the pope has repeatedly called for the immediate release of Israeli hostages, while also condemning the suffering of the Palestinian population.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Islamist militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,206 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 251, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures that include hostages who died in captivity.
Of the kidnapped, 97 are still being held in Gaza, but the Israeli military estimates that 34 of them have died.
The military offensive launched by Israel in response has killed at least 43,736 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, according to data from the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-governed territory.
International
Israeli airstrikes on Damascus kill 15 and injure 16, including women and children
Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on residential buildings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and its surroundings on Thursday, resulting in at least 15 deaths and 16 injuries, according to Syria’s Ministry of Defense and state television.
The ministry stated that around 3:20 p.m. local time (12:20 GMT), the Israeli military launched an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights, targeting several residential buildings in the Mazzeh neighborhood in western Damascus and the Qudsaya suburb to the northwest of the capital.
The airstrikes “resulted in the death of 15 people and injuries to 16 others, including women and children,” based on initial estimates, in addition to significant damage to private property and civilian buildings, the ministry added.
Meanwhile, state television reported Israeli airstrikes on three buildings in Mazzeh and another on a building in an educational complex located in a residential area of Qudsaya.
Following the strikes, loud explosions were heard throughout the city, and thick plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the targeted locations. Ambulances and emergency services rushed to the scene to attend to the victims.
International
Drug trafficker dies after boat collision with Guardia Civil Vessel in Sanlúca
Three people were on the boat that collided with a Guardia Civil vessel around midnight at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, near the Andalusian city of Cádiz, a spokesperson for the Civil Guard reported.
Two officers sustained “contusions,” the spokesperson explained.
The drug traffickers managed to bring the boat to shore, where one of them was “abandoned” severely injured. The other two fled.
The Civil Guard officers attempted to resuscitate the victim before transporting him to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, but he ultimately died early in the morning.
The other two suspects took advantage of the officers’ absence while they were taking the victim and returned to set their boat on fire.
The collision occurred very close to the site of another accident on September 1, where a drug trafficker died following a Guardia Civil pursuit.
The suspects’ boat traveled “400 meters” before crashing head-on and “at full speed” into the riverbank, where a hundred bundles of hashish were found.
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