Lost power, a mayday call and the crash that brought down a Baltimore bridge
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The Dali, a container ship, lost power and crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse. The ship was at the start of a 27-day journey from Baltimore to Sri Lanka when it lost power and was adrift. The crew ran tests to fix the issue but were unsuccessful. A local pilot onboard gave orders to steer the rudder hard to port and drop anchor, but the ship never regained engine power. The crew issued a mayday call warning of an imminent collision, allowing authorities to stop traffic on the bridge. The ship collided with a concrete column on the bridge, causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River. Six members of a road crew working on the bridge are presumed dead. The ship's crew, all Indian nationals, were unharmed. The cause of the power loss is unclear, and investigators will examine data from a voyage data recorder. The incident could have a significant impact on the port of Baltimore, a major hub for goods. US President Joe Biden pledged to provide federal resources to re-open the bridge and rebuild the port. The recovery process is expected to be lengthy.
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