Why did bridge in Baltimore collapse after ship hit it?

Two bodies have been recovered after Baltimore bridge collapse
Four others are missing and presumed dead
Bridge went down after cargo ship crashed into it

Updated: Mar 28, 2024 / 03:45 PM CDT

(NewsNation) — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating why a cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday, causing it to collapse.

Two bodies have been found, and four others are missing but presumed dead.

Authorities say the ship lost power, and investigators are now looking into what caused the collision.

When it comes to why the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, Rick Geddes, director of the Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy, says when it was built in the 1970s, ships were not as large as they are today. Back then, vessels going into the Port of Baltimore were constrained by the locks in the Panama Canal.

However, since the locks at the Panama Canal were made larger, the size of the container ships has “roughly tripled,” Geddes said on “NewsNation Now.”

“With all due respect to the designers and constructors of the 1977 Francis Scott Key Bridge, they probably didn’t contemplate ships with the size of container ships, and other types of ships, like car carriers, that we have today,” Geddes added.