Bridge Disaster Indian Crew: 8 Fly Back Home, Others To Wait Till Investigation Done

Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard and Tom Brenner

BALTIMORE, DE (ANI) – Three months after the MV Dali cargo ship lost power and crashed into a Bridge Disaster in Baltimore, eight crew members have left for India, with only a handful remaining on board.

Since March 26, the 984-foot ship had 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan crew member on board when it lost propulsion, veered off course, and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Six construction workers on the bridge were killed in the incident, which is under investigation by the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board.

The city of Baltimore filed a motion to keep the crew members in the country, but on June 20, a judge approved a deal allowing eight Indians to fly home. These crew members, who are not officers, include a cook, a fitter, an oiler, and several seamen. The deal ensures they will be available for lawsuit-related interviews.The remaining crew members, including all the ship’s officers, must stay until they resolve the litigation, which could take more than a year.

A source familiar with the developments says that the ship will tentatively depart for Norfolk, Virginia, on the evening of June 28. The source also confirmed that they have moved the 13 crew members, mostly Indians, who will stay in the US indefinitely, to serviced apartments in Baltimore.

Investigators are continuing to determine responsibility for the Bridge disaster, though they have not charged any crew members. The mayor of Baltimore has announced legal action to “hold the wrongdoers responsible.”