The U.S. law enforcement had less than two minutes to stop traffic before a container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland, radio archives and dispatch calls surrounding the collapse reveal.
The most important call came from the Dali cargo ship itself, moments before the 985-foot-long vessel struck one of the 1.6-mile-long bridge’s supports. The impact caused the bridge’s span to break and tumble into Baltimore’s Patapsco River, sending parts of the bridge into the river.
Prior to the crash, Dali made the mayday call on Tuesday morning and raised the alarm about losing power as it charged down the river. The call pushed law enforcement officers to quickly react and seal off traffic on the bridge.
