Why Indians Are Still Stuck On Ship Months After It Hit US Bridge

New Delhi: 

In the early morning of March 26, a container ship hit a major commuter bridge in Baltimore, collapsing it within seconds, killing six and halting shipping traffic at one of the most important ports on the US East Coast. The Singapore-flagged container ship Dali and the crew – 20 Indian and one Sri Lankan – have remained in place since.

The 2.6-km-long, four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River came crashing down after being struck by the 984-foot ship. Several video footage showed nearly all the ship’s lights going off shortly before the stunning collapse. Now, a preliminary report by federal investigators released Tuesday said the Dali suffered two electricity blackouts in the moments before the disaster. The report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also detailed two blackouts about ten hours before leaving Baltimore.

On Monday, crews demolished part of the bridge in a bid to free the Dali. Authorities hope that it would help the crew move a bit closer to a reunion with their families, miles away.