(TrueTrendNews.com) – Three weeks after the tragic and deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, the federal government officially launched a criminal investigation into the incident.
Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will be probing into the matter to determine if the crew of the Dali cargo ship that struck the bridge’s supporting beams on March 26 were aware of the fact that there were major problems with the vessel before they set out from port. The crash and subsequent collapse killed six construction workers who were on the bridge at the time of the early morning tragedy.
The criminal investigation will be spearheaded by the Maryland district attorney’s office and will concentrate on what the 22-member crew knew about the systemic issues of the ship. Mayor Brandon Scott of the city of Baltimore has emphasized the need to hold accountable those “who may potentially be responsible” for the disaster.
On April 15, Scott revealed that the city filed a lawsuit against the cargo ship’s owner, manufacturer, and operator, among other parties alleged to have been responsible for the crash. Days after the tragedy struck, the vessel’s owner reportedly filed a limited liability motion, pointing to an accident.
In addition to the recently launched FBI investigation and the pending legal battle from the city, another federal probe is being conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board. The focus of this investigation is to examine what happened with the electric system on the ship. According to the agency’s chair, Jennifer Homendy, the investigation is still preliminary, but the “focus” of it remains on the electricity.
She told a Senate committee that there were problems with the ship’s power just prior to it striking the bridge. Video evidence shows that lights on the vessel went out and came back on before the crash.
Meanwhile, the Old Line State remains overwhelmed by the devastating crash that killed six out of eight workers who fell into the freezing water when the bridge collapsed. Gov. Wes Moore has described the aftermath of the tragedy as “a very long road” to recovery.
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