A ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused the structure to collapse this Tuesday morning (26). The structure, located over the Patapsco River, in Baltimore, United States, resembles a disaster that happened here in Santa Catarina.
Bridge in Santa Catarina suffered a similar fate to that in the United States – Photo: Beatriz Formanski/NDTV
Here in the state, the disaster took place in February 2023. On that date, the accident happened at around 2:20 am, between the cities of Torres (RS) and Passo de Torres, in the south of Santa Catarina.
According to the city hall of the city of Rio Grande do Sul, it was not a ship that caused the bridge to collapse, but the excess of people on it.
The Fire Department estimated, at the time, that 50 people were on the bridge at the time of the accident. The structure passes over the Mampituba River. At the site, according to the city hall, there are information signs about the maximum capacity of 20 people at a time.
Check out the bridge collapse in Santa Catarina
Moment when the bridge between SC and RS breaks – Video: Internet/Reproduction/ND
The Baltimore Bridge
The structure of the Baltimore bridge connected two parts of the city in the State of Maryland and was 3 km long. Furthermore, it was built almost 50 years ago.
After the accident, divers immediately began the search and rescue operation. With the water temperature around 9ºC, the teams face a race against time.
As meteorologist Derek Van Dam explained to CNN, the human body only has a window of one to three hours to withstand such cold environments, as low temperatures can lead to death from hypothermia.
In addition to the dive team, the US Coast Guard is also involved in the operation. Drones equipped with infrared cameras and sonar are being used by firefighters to facilitate the search.
According to the team’s reports, the sonar detected cars submerged in the water, however, the exact number has not yet been determined.
Naval traffic in the port of Baltimore has been interrupted and there is no forecast for its resumption. All roads in the vicinity of the bridge were blocked by the Maryland Transportation Authority.
Furthermore, there were restrictions on airspace, with the agency responsible for aviation control requesting that private drones avoid flying over the region.
City Mayor Brandon Scott expressed his gratitude for the work of rescuers and described the incident as an “unthinkable tragedy.”
Check out the collision:
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