Baltimore Bridge Crash Sparks Racist Cartoon

India-West News Desk

BALTIMORE, MD – The out-of-control cargo ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge killing six people and causing severe economic damage was manned mostly by an Indian crew.

While officials including President Joe Biden praised the ship’s crew, without necessarily saying they were Indian, for their prompt Mayday call which allowed authorities to scramble and shut down traffic, potentially saving lives has however drawn a different kind of response in a different quarter.

A webcomic has shared a cartoon depicting the “Last known recording from inside the Dali moments before impact,” Foxford Comics wrote on X (formerly Twitter) while sharing the video. The cartoon audio has people swearing at each other in English but with a strong Indian accent. The animated video shows men dressed in loincloths.

The account is being criticized not just for its racist depiction of Indians, but also for undermining the ship’s crew.