The FBI has launched a criminal investigation into the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, the Associated Press reports.

According to a person familiar with the matter, the probe will focus on the circumstances leading up to the bridge’s collapse and whether all federal laws were followed.

From the Associated Press:

The FBI was present aboard the cargo ship Dali conducting court authorized law enforcement activity, the agency said in a statement Monday.

The investigation was first reported by The Washington Post.

And on Monday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced a partnership with two law firms to “launch legal action to hold the wrongdoers responsible” and mitigate harm to city residents.

The container ship Dali left Baltimore’s port in the early hours of March 26, laden with cargo and headed for Sri Lanka, when it struck one of the bridge’s supporting columns, causing the span to collapse into the Patapsco River and sending six members of a roadwork crew plunging to their deaths.

Divers have recovered three bodies from the underwater wreckage, while the remaining three victims are still unaccounted for.

“The FBI is looking to determine if the ship’s crew left the port knowing the vessel was troubled,” the New York Post noted.

The New York Post reports:

The massive container ship, capable of carrying nearly 130,000 tons of cargo and supplies, took down the 47-year-old bridge just before 1:30 a.m. on March 26 after attempting to warn officials that it had reportedly lost propulsion and was about to crash into the bridge.

Horrifying video ahead of the crash shows the ship’s power flickering on and off moments before the collision, which sent the bridge instantly crumbling into the water.

The ship also caught fire, sending thick, black smoke across the busy harbor.

Two “deficiencies” were flagged across 27 inspections of the ship since it was built in 2015, most recently in June 2023.

The container ship was last inspected on Sept. 9, 2023 by the US Coast Guard in New York. No deficiencies were reported at the time.

The FBI’s investigation is separate from the probe underway by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is looking to determine the cause of the crash and assess other safety-related measures.

 

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