A bridge collapsed after a container ship collided with it in Baltimore, USA. CNN points out that this is the third such situation since earlier this year. Earlier, cargo ships crashed into bridges in China and Argentina.
The Singaporean-flagged container ship Dally was leaving the port of Baltimore for Sri Lanka at around 1:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday when it collided with a power pole of the Key Bridge over the Patapsco Estuary. Divers retrieved the bodies of two people from the water, and the four missing people were pronounced dead.
The container ship, which is about 300 meters long and 48 meters wide, lost its power and dropped anchor to slow down before hitting the bridge. As a result, the authorities were able to stop traffic on the bridge and prevent further casualties. The disaster led to the closure of the Port of Baltimore and “communication chaos” around the bridge.
Three months, three bridges
In its analysis published Wednesday, CNN notes that this is the third such case this year.
In late February, a cargo ship struck the Lixinsha Bridge over the Pearl River in southern China – a major shipping hub and the country's industrial hub.
The bridge broke into two parts. Work to strengthen the bridge has been postponed several times in recent years due to fears of structural damage, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Many cars plying on the bridge fell into the water. Five people were killed and three were wounded.
Destroyed Lixinsha Bridge in ChinaLu Hanxin / Xinhua News Agency / Forum
A month earlier, in late January, a bulk carrier carrying more than 50,000 tons of grain collided with the Zárate-Brazo Largo bridge over the Prana River in Argentina. Although the ship was heavily damaged, the bridge structure remained intact and there were no casualties.
The bulk carrier collided with the Zárate-Brazo Largo bridge in ArgentinaAA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Forum
“It's not a small chance, it's a high probability.”
Although these accidents are not the same, “it has led to an increased awareness that a ship hitting a bridge is not a small chance, but a high probability,” commented Bassem O. Andrawes, a professor of structural engineering at the University of Illinois. CNN.
Engineers are introducing various solutions to prevent or at least reduce the damage caused by similar disasters, he said. Every accident, especially a series like the one that happened in the last three months, accelerates and intensifies the efforts of scientists – the professor added.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/JIM LO SCALZO
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