The FBI has launched accriminal investigation into the collapse of a Baltimore bridge that killed six.
The FBI wants to know what led to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsing March 26. It is also investigating whether “all federal laws were followed,” a source told the Associated Press.
The FBI was aboard the cargo ship Dali Monday morning, according to The Washington Post, who first reported on the investigation.
“The FBI is present aboard the cargo ship Dali conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity,” the agency said in a statement Monday morning.
The FBI would not comment further; the Justice Department stated federal agents were conducting a “court-approved search” on the ship.
Dali, a 985-foot Singapore-flagged ship, lost power on its way to Sri Lanka. As it was leaving the Port of Baltimore, the ship hit one of the bridge’s supporting columns, causing the bridge to plunge into the Patapsco River. Six died, while two workers survived.
Divers have recovered three bodies from the wreckage. The other three remain missing, per the AP. Workers were on the bridge to repair concrete and fill potholes.
Also on Monday, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced the city hired two law firms to assist the city’s legal team to “hold the wrongdoers responsible and to mitigate the immediate and long-term harm caused to Baltimore City residents,” per the Post.
“We are continuing to do everything in our power to support everyone impacted here and will continue to recognize the human impact this event has had,” Scott said in a statement. “Part of that work needs to be seeking recourse from those who may potentially be responsible, and with the ship’s owner filing a petition to limit its liability mere days after the incident, we need to act equally as quickly to protect the City’s interests.”
Erek L. Barron, the U.S. attorney for Maryland, echoed those sentiments.
“My office generally will not confirm the existence of or otherwise comment about investigations,” Barron said in a statement. “However, the public should know, whether it’s gun violence, civil rights abuse, financial fraud, or any other threat to public safety or property, we will seek accountability for anyone who may be responsible.”
Both President Joe Biden and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) have said they intend to hold the parties responsible accountable, The Post reported.
According to the AP, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said investigators are looking closely at the electrical power system on the ship.
The ship was shown in videos of the accident losing power before slamming into the bridge.
Homendy said information taken from the ship’s from the vessel’s data recorder is “relatively basic,” according to the AP, “so that information in the engine room will help us tremendously.”
Scott’s administration needed to act swiftly because of a petition in federal court to limit liability was filed by the Dali’s owner and manager within days of the crash, per The Post.
Attorneys for three of the construction workers who fell into the river announced they were also pursuing legal action. This includes one of the workers who survived.
