Two people pulled from Patapsco River in search for bodies after Dali cargo ship struck Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore
Two bodies have been recovered from the Patapsco River following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, according to local reports.
The two men were found in a vehicle and taken to shore Wednesday afternoon, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter told the Baltimore Banner.
The identity of the deceased was not yet publicly known.
Six construction workers who were repairing holes in the bridge when a container ship crashed into it are believed to have been killed. Two surviving workers were pulled from the water on Tuesday.
The search for the remaining six began early Wednesday morning after the Coast Guard suspended its active search and rescue mission on Tuesday and declared the missing presumed dead.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the ship’s crew informed officials that the power had gone out just before the collision
![Two people pulled from Patapsco River in search for bodies after Dali cargo ship struck Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore 2 The cargo ship Dali is trapped under part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship struck the bridge](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1711575555_708_Two-people-pulled-from-Patapsco-River-in-search-for-bodies.jpg)
The cargo ship Dali is trapped under part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship struck the bridge
Details are still emerging about the fatal incident, but earlier on Wednesday a dock worker claimed the Dali freighter that crashed into the bridge had a “serious electrical problem” when it docked in Baltimore days earlier.
Julie Mitchell, co-manager of Container Royalty, a freight tracking company, told CNN the ship was anchored in port for at least 48 hours prior to the fatal crash.
After the destruction, she said, “And those two days they had serious power outages… they had a serious electrical problem. It was a total power failure, loss of engine power, everything.”
Mitchell explained that coolers had tripped the fire breakers on board the ship on several occasions, and technicians had tried to fix the problem.
She said she did not know if the problem had been resolved when the ship sailed.
The 2.6-mile Key Bridge partially collapsed after the cargo container ship crashed into one of its support structures just before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the ship’s crew informed officials that the power had gone out just before the collision.
Mitchell told CNN that major power problems aboard large ships like the Dali “don’t happen that often at all,” describing the bizarre incident as “very rare.”
“They should not have allowed the ship to leave port before they had it under control,” she said.
Six workers who were pouring concrete on the bridge to fill potholes as part of a graveyard shift are still missing and presumed dead.
It has been widely reported that the Dali suffered a loss of propulsion, causing steering problems in the lead-up to the crash that caused the iconic bridge to collapse like a ‘house of cards’.
An officer on the Dali also said the engines “coughed and then stopped” before the crash. There was not enough time before the ship hit the bridge to drop the anchors, causing the ship to drift.
![Two people pulled from Patapsco River in search for bodies after Dali cargo ship struck Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore 4 Six workers who were pouring concrete on the bridge to repair potholes as part of a graveyard shift are still missing and presumed dead](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1711575558_269_Two-people-pulled-from-Patapsco-River-in-search-for-bodies.jpg)
Six workers who were pouring concrete on the bridge to repair potholes as part of a graveyard shift are still missing and presumed dead
![Two people pulled from Patapsco River in search for bodies after Dali cargo ship struck Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore 6 The Dali freighter that crashed into the Key Bridge suffered a](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Dali-cargo-ship-suffered-severe-electrical-problem-while-docked-in.jpg)
The Dali freighter that crashed into the Key Bridge suffered a “serious electrical problem” while docked in Baltimore a few days earlier, a dock worker said
![Two people pulled from Patapsco River in search for bodies after Dali cargo ship struck Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore 8 The first of the six: Miguel Luna, 49, was the first missing construction worker identified after the collapse](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Two-people-pulled-from-Patapsco-River-in-search-for-bodies.jpeg)
The first of the six: Miguel Luna, 49, was the first missing construction worker identified after the collapse
“The ship stalled, no steering power and no electronics… The smell of burnt fuel was everywhere in the engine room and it was pitch black,” the officer said.
When a ship like the Dali loses power, backup generators kick in, but they don’t perform the same functions as the main power supply, Pagoulatos said.
In 2016, the Dali was involved in an accident in the port of Antwerp.
According to the Antwerp port authorities, the container ship Dali hit a quay on July 11, 2016 when trying to leave the North Sea container terminal.
A 2016 inspection of the ship in Antwerp found it had a structural problem, which was described as “damage to the hull affecting seaworthiness,” according to data published on Equasis, a public database for the shipping industry.
![Two people pulled from Patapsco River in search for bodies after Dali cargo ship struck Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore 10 Maynor Suazo, 37, from Honduras, has been named as the other man missing and presumed dead](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1711575564_791_Two-people-pulled-from-Patapsco-River-in-search-for-bodies.jpeg)
Maynor Suazo, 37, from Honduras, has been named as the other man missing and presumed dead
![Two people pulled from Patapsco River in search for bodies after Dali cargo ship struck Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore 12 Julie Mitchell, co-manager of Container Royalty, a cargo tracking company, told CNN that the ship had been anchored in port for at least 48 hours before the fatal crash.](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1711575565_179_Two-people-pulled-from-Patapsco-River-in-search-for-bodies.jpg)
Julie Mitchell, co-manager of Container Royalty, a cargo tracking company, told CNN that the ship had been anchored in port for at least 48 hours before the fatal crash.
Inspectors noticed a problem with the Dali’s machinery in June, but a more recent investigation revealed no defects, according to shipping information system Equasis.
According to port authorities, the ship was docked for some time for repairs after the incident.
“In general, these accidents are investigated and ships are only allowed to leave after experts have determined that it is safe for them to do so,” a spokesperson for the port of Antwerp told Reuters.
Video footage on social media showed the ship crashing into the bridge in the dark, with the headlights of vehicles on the span visible as it plunged into the water and the ship caught fire.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the closure of one of the country’s busiest shipping lanes until further notice would have a “major and long-lasting impact on supply chains.”
The Port of Baltimore handles more auto cargo than any other U.S. port: more than 750,000 vehicles in 2022, according to port data.
The freighter Dali suffered a ‘severe electrical problem’ while docked in Baltimore days prior to bridge collapse, causing ‘total power outage and loss of engine power,’ dock worker says