The ship crash that destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and left several people dead is now under federal criminal investigation, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.
The FBI and the U.S. Coast Guard are leading the criminal investigation into the disaster and whether the crew failed to report an earlier issue with the vessel that delayed its departure, the official said.
The Washington Post first reported the investigation.
The bridge collapsed around 1:30 a.m. March 26 after a massive cargo ship called the Dali lost power and struck the bridge.
Six construction workers who were repairing potholes on the bridge plunged into the Patapsco River and died.
Of the six victims killed, the bodies of three have been found.
Wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali, as President Joe Biden takes an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Friday, April 5, 2024, as seen from an accompanying aircraft. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating why the 213-million-pound ship lost power and crashed into the 47-year-old bridge. The probe has been focused on engine room equipment, the NTSB said last week.
The tragedy has also halted cargo shipments in the area and impacted the livelihoods of thousands of workers in and around the Port of Baltimore.
The US Army Corps of Engineers has said it plans to reopen the channel affected by the crash by the end of May.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
