Video showed the explosion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland Monday after it collapsed underwater during a March 26 tragedy.
The Coast Guard used small explosives to completely destroy the remaining parts of the bridge to remove any debris in the Patapsco River and free the 213-million-pound cargo ship that caused the collapse, according to a Key Bridge Response United Command news release. The precision cuts were reportedly the “safest and swiftest method” to remove the remaining parts of the brine and allow the cargo ship to re-float.
“This is an industry-standard tool in controlled demolition that will break the span into smaller pieces, which will allow the work of refloating the vessel and removing it from the federal channel,” the press release stated.
The collapse killed six people located on the bridge at the time, whose corpses have all since been recovered by authorities.
A cloud of black smoke and a loud bang erupted from the water and destroyed a part of the bridge blocking the ship.
VIDEO: Key Bridge in Baltimore explosion to free trapped ship. pic.twitter.com/McPYY7LvWc
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) May 13, 2024
The demolition had to be postponed until Monday due to bad weather conditions and lightning over the weekend, CNN reported. It came right before a scheduled Wednesday hearing set to be held by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board and officials from the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers and the US Department of Transportation are expected to testify regarding the bridge’s demolition. (RELATED: ‘National Economic Catastrophe’: Gov Warns About Effects Of Baltimore Bridge Collapse)
“We will absolutely not sacrifice safety for speed,” the Coast Guard’s Nick Ameen said Sunday regarding the delay, according to CNN. “Whenever there’s a lightning strike in the area, that pushes the clock back, and so that clock just kept getting pushed back and pushed back.”
The 21 members of the ship’s crew will remain on board during the process, CNN reported. The crew has remained on board since the collapse.
Members of Baltimore’s Marine enforcement ensured those remaining on the ship would have a safe location to shelter in place during the explosion, CNN reported.
The 1.6-mile bridge was completed in March 1977 as a means to relieve congestion in the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, where Interstate 895 crosses the harbor, the New York Times reported. It stood as the furthest of the three crossings of Baltimore Harbor.