March 27, 2024 - Baltimore Key Bridge collapse

The US Coast Guard is examining more than a dozen damaged containers — some holding potentially hazardous materials — that were aboard the ship that crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to a US government document obtained by CNN and a US official familiar with the matter. 

Thirteen damaged containers, “some with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and/or hazardous materials (HAZMAT) contents” are being examined by an elite Coast Guard team, according to an unclassified memo from the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The memo was distributed to NGOs and critical infrastructure operators on Tuesday evening. 

A Coast Guard team trained in dealing with hazardous materials is investigating the ship’s manifest to determine what was on board and any health risks there might be, a US official said. 

About 1.8 million gallons of “marine diesel spill potential” from the ship is also being monitored by federal officials, according to the memo.

Estimates like that are a “worst case scenario,” the official told CNN, adding that “a lot would have to go wrong now for all that fuel to spill.” 

Still, the source said, first responders are taking precautions to minimize any potential fuel spill from the ship. 

1.8 million gallons is “not an unusual amount of fuel for a ship of that size to carry,” the official told CNN.

Six people, who were believed to be part of a road construction crew, are presumed dead after Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning. The collapse came after a 984-foot cargo ship hit the bridge's pillar.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters on Tuesday evening that the end of the rescue operation was a "really heartbreaking conclusion to a challenging day."

Late Tuesday, it was discovered that two of the construction workers who were missing after the bridge collapsed were from Guatemala, the country's foreign ministry said.

Here's what you should know to get up to speed:

Two of the construction workers missing from the bridge collapse in Baltimore were from Guatemala, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement late Tuesday.

Those missing included a 26-year-old originally from San Luis, Petén. The other is a 35-year-old from Camotán, Chiquimula, the statement said.

The ministry said both were part of a work team “repairing the asphalt on the bridge at the time of the accident.”

The statement did not name the two people missing, but it said the country’s consul general in Maryland “went to the area where the families of those affected are located,” where he hopes to be able to meet with the brothers of both missing people.

The consulate also issued a statement Tuesday saying its consul general in Maryland "remains in contact with local authorities," and also confirmed that two of those missing "were of Guatemalan origin.”

Six people, who were believed to be part of a road construction crew, are presumed dead after Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning when a cargo ship hit the bridge's pillar.

State and federal officials have not released information about the identities of any of the six missing workers.

A crew member on the Dali cargo ship sent a message hours after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed Tuesday saying everybody on board was safe, according to Apostleship of the Sea director Andy Middleton.

Middleton, who spent time with the captain of the Dali on Monday, told CNN’s Laura Coates he reached out to a crew member after hearing about the incident. 

He said 22 members aboard the ship from India were setting sail on Tuesday morning and heading toward Sri Lanka.

Middleton was told by the ship's captain Monday that the vessel was going to take a longer route to avoid risks along the Yemen coast.

Middleton said the Apostleship of the Sea is a ministry to seafarers with members that spend time in the port and on the vessels as a friendly face to the seafarers that visit the Port of Baltimore, “taking care of their needs to make sure that they're reminded of their God-given human dignity when they're here in Baltimore.”

Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday after a container ship lost power and crashed into it, sending people and vehicles falling into the frigid Patapsco River.

Six people, believed to be part of a road construction crew, are presumed dead and the Coast Guard has ended its active rescue mission.

Here's what you should know about the historic bridge:

More than 18 hours after the collapse of the Baltimore bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said it was a heartbreaking conclusion after the Coast Guard ended the search-and-rescue operation for the six people who were on the bridge when it collapsed.

It's a "really heartbreaking conclusion to a challenging day," he said.

The pilot of the ship that crashed into a Baltimore bridge Tuesday did “everything that he could have done” to slow the ship and keep it from drifting toward the bridge, said Clay Diamond, executive director and general counsel of the American Pilots Association.

Diamond has been in close communication with the Association of Maryland Pilots over what unfolded on the Dali cargo ship in the moments leading up to the crash. 

At that point, according to Diamond, the pilot did “everything that he could have done” to both slow the ship down and keep it from drifting to the right, toward the bridge.

The pilot quickly gave a string of orders, calling for a hard rudder to port — as far left as possible — and for the anchor to be dropped.

Additionally, Diamond said, the pilot was the one who contacted the pilot dispatch office to shut down traffic to the bridge. 

Diamond pointed out that while the lights on the boat could be seen turning back on — likely due to an emergency generator activating after the initial blackout — the ship’s engines never got running again. 

Some background: Maritime pilots, who are required to be licensed, temporarily board a ship and help guide the vessel as it maneuvers through local waters. Pilot training programs are extensive and rigorous, according to Diamond, requiring years of experience navigating ships on the water, classroom simulations, and working under the supervision of licensed pilots. 

A massive cargo ship plowed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday.

Take a look at its path:

Recovery efforts will be focused on finding the missing people to provide closure to their families, said Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., secretary of Maryland State Police.

Divers are expected to be back in the water at 6 a.m. ET on Wednesday when "we'll find ourselves in a better position to understand the dynamics of what we're dealing with, and to address the issues in a much safer manner," he said.

Meanwhile, surface ships will continue working overnight.