FBI launches criminal probe into Baltimore bridge collapse: Investigators to probe whether 22-man crew of Dali knew ship was in trouble when it left port, smashing Francis Scott Key bridge, killing six construction workers
- The investigation will be overseen by the U.S. District Attorney’s Office in Maryland
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The FBI has launched a criminal investigation into the Baltimore bridge collapse that left six construction workers dead earlier this month.
The investigation will be overseen by the U.S. District Attorney’s Office in Maryland and will focus on whether the 22 crew on the Dali left port knowing the vessel had serious systemic problems. Washington Post reported Monday.
During the initial stages of a separate federal investigation into the fatal collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, investigators are focusing on the electrical power system of the massive container ship that veered off course.
Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said her agency is collecting data with assistance from Hyundai, the maker of equipment in the ship’s engine room. Testifying before a US Senate committee, she said investigators have also requested help examine its circuit breakers.
“That’s where our focus is right now in this investigation,” she said. “Of course it is provisional. It could take different paths, different paths as we continue this investigation.’
Homendy said they have familiarized themselves with the electrical system. The ship experienced power problems moments before the crash, as evidenced by videos showing its lights turning off and on again.
The FBI has launched a criminal investigation into the Baltimore Bridge collapse that left six construction workers dead
Investigators are also looking into the bridge design and how it could be built with better pier protection “under today’s standards,” Homendy said.
The container ship Dali was en route from Baltimore, laden with cargo and bound for Sri Lanka, when it struck one of the bridge’s load-bearing columns last month, causing the span to collapse into the Patapsco River and sending six members of a roadworks crew to crash to death.
Divers have recovered three bodies from the underwater wreck, while the remaining three victims are still unaccounted for.
Crews have been working to recover parts of the fallen bridge, including those tangled in a muddy mess at the bottom of the Patapsco River.
“This work is remarkably complex,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.