Collapse of the Bridge in Baltimore: Catastrophe Images Seen from Space

The Francis Scott Key Bridge, a vital structure for Baltimore, collapsed early Tuesday after being struck by a large cargo ship. The tragedy occurred as the ship, named Dali, was beginning its journey to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Shortly after its departure, Dali lost all power and collided with a structural pillar of the bridge, causing most of this 1.6-mile-long edifice to collapse. This incident led to people and vehicles falling into the icy waters of the Patapsco River.


At the time of the accident, eight workers were on the bridge doing pothole repairs. Two of them were rescued on the same day, but the river's dangerous conditions halted the rescue efforts. The search resumed the following morning for the other six, presumed dead, hailing from various countries including Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala.

The satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies, based in Colorado, show significant portions of the destroyed bridge, as well as the Dali ship still trapped under the debris. These images have been widely circulated and show the extent of the damage as well as the search and rescue efforts around the accident site.


A satellite photo taken by Maxar in 2023 shows the bridge before the collision, highlighting the striking contrast with the post-disaster images.

Before the accident, a distress call from the ship allowed authorities to stop traffic on both sides of the bridge. The cause of the ship's total failure remains to be determined. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have boarded the ship to recover the data recorder, or "black box," to establish a timeline of events.


The incident has caused a complete and indefinite halt to maritime traffic entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore, the eleventh largest in the United States, and has had a significant impact on the local economy.