Baltimore Bridge Tragedy: Audio Recorded When 'The Whole Bridge Just Fell Down' Has Emerged

Tuesday, March 26, dawned tragically in Baltimore as the Francis Scott Key Bridge met a catastrophic fate, plunging into the Patapsco River after a collision. This incident has marked a somber moment in Maryland's history.

Tragedy has struck Baltimore after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, after a collision with a container vessel. The incident occurred in the early morning of Tuesday, March 26.

According to sources, the 984-foot cargo ship hit the pillar of the bridge, causing it to go under. Moments before the disaster, the ship issued a mayday call in a bid to let authorities know of the impending danger after losing its power. And now, the audio from the first responder has been unearthed.

The call was directed to the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Dispatch and Response officials. In the audio, the official could be heard detailing what was happening, saying that the ship had lost its steering and all traffic had to be stopped.

They then instructed the officials to hold off traffic on the bridge and ensure no one was on it. "There's a crew up there… You might want to notify the foreman to see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily," the official said.

Moments later, another voice is heard saying they would grab the workers. Sadly, it was a little too late, and the bridge went down. Then, a voice was heard saying:

"The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever… everybody. The whole bridge just collapsed."

Sadly, six people who were part of a road construction crew, as well as vehicles that were already well on the 1.6-mile bridge, were plunged into the river upon the collision. Authorities have since started a rescue mission which has now become a recovery operation after the group -- one of whom has been identified as Miguel Luna, from El Salvador -- is presumed dead.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore spoke to CBS News regarding the families of the victims and the survivors, disclosing that they were "distraught and heartbroken." He revealed that he had a chance to sit with them and could tell they were prayerful and hopeful.

Moore retaliated that he has been in contact with the families of those lost in the catastrophe, praying with and for them, "They also wanted to remind me that these were husbands, fathers, [and] brothers."

Investigations are ongoing to determine what went wrong with the vessel. Still, President Joe Biden has weighed in on the matter, terming the tragedy "a terrible accident."

As previously reported on March 27, 2024:

The tragedy occurred when the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after a Singaporean-flagged container vessel struck a pillar on the 47-year-old bridge.

The identity of one of the six people, a CASA member, now presumed dead was shared in a heartfelt statement from CASA Executive Director Gustavo Torres.

“Sadly, we discovered that one of the construction workers involved was a longtime member of our CASA family, adding an even deeper layer of sorrow to this already grievous situation,” he stated.

Husband, father of three, El Salvadorian Miguel Luna, a Maryland resident for over 19 years, left for work on the bridge at 6:30 p.m., and he never returned home.

Miguel Luna’s wife, María del Carmen Castellón, is “devastated” at the turn of events as she said, “They only tell us that we have to wait, that right now they cannot give information. [We feel] devastated, devastated because our hearts are broken because we don't know how they have been rescued yet. We are just waiting for the news.”

A colleague of the missing workers, Jesús Campos, added, “It hurts my heart to see what is happening. We are human beings and they are my coworkers,” Campos said. "First of all, God, be alive. It's what you want most."

More than 14 hours after the disaster, authorities announced the suspension of search and rescue efforts for the missing workers working on the bridge when it collapsed.

On Tuesday evening it still remained unclear how many vehicles fell into the water, or if there are any other victims. Initially, 8 workers on the bridge got caught up in the collapse, but emergency responders pulled two workers from the water early Tuesday.

One of the rescued workers was identified as an employee of Brawner Builders. Of the two rescued, one is uninjured and the other is in “very serious condition.”

The tragedy occurred on Tuesday, just before 1:30 a.m., when the container vessel called DALI struck a bridge pillar.

According to the executive director and general counsel of the American Pilots Association, Clay Diamond, the ship's local pilot did what he could to prevent it from drifting towards the bridge, but failed due to another unforeseen situation.

“Just minutes before the bridge, there was a total blackout on the ship, meaning that the ship lost engine power and electrical power, it was a complete blackout,” Diamond said.

Even though the pilot called for the anchor to be dropped, and for the rudder to steer the ship as far left as possible, it did little to prevent the collision.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore elaborated on the situation in a statement.

“As a result (of the momentary loss of power), it was unable to maintain the desired heading and collided with the Francis Scott Key bridge,” the statement reportedly read.

The 984-foot-long vessel approached the bridge in the wrong part of the channel, instead of crossing right under the bridge where the clearance is the highest.

The NTSB has since launched a team to investigate the tragedy and will lead the investigation. Initial damage estimates to the bridge and ship are more than $ 500,000, and the Office of Marine Safety will investigate the probable cause.

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