Search and Rescue Called Off After Bridge Collapse

(Daily.360.com) Residents describe a shipping container ship’s collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland as similar to an earthquake. The video of the collision has been the most circulated media on social media for days. It captured the vessel turning, losing power, regaining power, and losing power again before striking the bridge strut and destroying it.

Large sections of the bridge plunged into the depths of the water below and some explosions and fire were visible. Authorities have been using sonar to determine if any vehicles may have plummeted into the water from the bridge but they believe none did.

However, the video has no audio accompanying it and now as locals come forward, they are describing the massive jolt this event caused. One person said it was like an earthquake or a “big bash of thunder.” Residents say soon after the large blast of sound they felt vibrations and many believed an earthquake was occurring and worried their houses might collapse.

Residents have now been able to survey the damage and are telling the media that they’re devastated by what happened. They are noting the closed harbor, the lost infrastructure, and the coming over-taxing of available roadways within the community, especially its tunnels.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge crosses the Patapsco River and acts as the final link to I-695. The bridge was a substantial part of national infrastructure and load hauling routes. It’s estimated that more than 11 million vehicles traverse the bridge per year and the majority of that traffic is semi trucks hauling things like coal, fuel, and other essential elements. The Biden administration came out hours after the accident claiming it was not terrorism and Biden himself vowed to use federal tax money to pay for 100% of the rebuild.

Critics wonder why Biden would offer full payment and not have the insurer of the vessel offset the cost. There are others in the media wondering if this was some form of cyber terrorist attack and why all the failsafe protocols failed to avert this catastrophe.