Foreign Ministry’s reaction to the Baltimore Bridge collapse

Of the 21 crew members of the cargo ship that collided with a bridge in Baltimore, 20 are Indians and one of them sustained minor injuries, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

The Ministry of External Affairs said the remaining crew members are in good health and the embassy is in touch with the Indians aboard the ship and local authorities.

“Of the 21 crew members, 20 are Indians. They are all in good health. One of them is slightly injured. Stitches have been given. Our embassy is in close touch with the Indians on board the ship and the local authorities. It matter,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly press briefing on Thursday.

Randhir Jaiswal said that the injured man required a few stitches and stitches have been applied; And he has gone back to the ship.

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The 2.6 km long, four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore, USA, collapsed early Tuesday after being hit by a 984-foot-long cargo ship branch.

According to officials, minutes before impact, there was a “complete blackout” of engines and electrical power on the ship.

Earlier, the Indian Embassy in the US condoled the “unfortunate accident” in Baltimore and said the Singapore-flagged ship ‘Dali’ suffered a power problem and a distress call was issued moments before the accident.

“Our heartfelt condolences to all those affected by the unfortunate accident on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore,” the Indian Embassy in the US said in a post on Twitter.

It added that the embassy has created a dedicated hotline for Indian nationals who may be affected or require assistance due to the tragedy. The embassy is ascertaining details about the ship’s crew. Ship management company Synergy Marine Group said in a statement that all the crew members on board are Indians, totaling 22 people.