Baltimore bridge tragedy: Minutes before the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

How did Baltimore Tragedy unfold?

Around half an hour past midnight on Tuesday, the Dali, fully loaded with cargo containers, departed from its dock, guided by two tugboats. Onboard were 21 crew members from India, preparing for a long journey to Sri Lanka.

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As the ship approached the Key Bridge at approximately 1:25 a.m., the two tugboats detached and turned back. At this critical moment, "numerous audible alarms" began sounding on the ship, signaling an imminent issue.

For reasons that are still under investigation, the ship's powerful propulsion system abruptly stopped, plunging the vessel into darkness and causing a "complete blackout," according to Clay Diamond, head of the American Pilots' Association.

The harbor pilot quickly noticed the ship starting to swing to the right, directly towards one of the piers supporting the Key Bridge. At 1:26 a.m., he urgently called for the tugs to return and directed the crew to steer hard left. As a last-resort effort at 1:27 a.m., he ordered the crew to drop the port anchor.

95,000-ton ship drifted uncontrollably towards the bridge

However, despite these desperate attempts to regain control, the failures onboard kept compounding. The emergency generator briefly restored the ship's lights, radar, and steering but was ultimately ineffective. With no effective extra force, the 95,000-ton ship started drifting uncontrollably toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

On land, officers with the Maryland Transportation Authority acted swiftly. "I need one of you guys on the South side, one of you guys on the North side, hold all traffic on the Key Bridge," one officer was heard saying on the emergency radio traffic recording. "There's a ship approaching that just lost their steering. So until they get that under control, we've got to stop all traffic."

Vehicles were held on both sides of the bridge as the ship continued its inexorable drift toward the 1.6-mile-long span. A minute later, the officers turned their attention to several workers still on the bridge. Within minutes the ship collided with the bridge. Almost immediately, the pier buckled and collapsed, twisting over the ship with its cargo containers stacked high on the deck. The rest of the bridge followed suit, breaking into sections as it plummeted into the dark waters of the Patapsco River below.

The collapse occurred within seconds. Apart from the stumps of the piers, the central span of the bridge had submerged into the frigid river by 1:29 a.m.

In the aftermath, the disaster claimed the lives of seven road workers and an inspector who were unable to evacuate in time. Two workers were rescued from the water, while four others remain missing and are presumed dead. The ship's crew members were unharmed but were detained on board as the ship sat in the harbor amid the wreckage, pending an investigation.