Report: FBI Opens Criminal Investigation Into Baltimore Bridge Collapse

The collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge lies on top of the container ship Dali in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 29, 2024, as clean-up work begins.. Cranes began arriving March 28 at the scene of the catastrophic bridge collapse over Baltimore harbor, as authorities shifted to a clean-up phase of the recovery and warned of extensive work before the major US port can reopen. Four men, all Latin American immigrants, are believed to have been killed when the Singapore-flagged container ship lost power and careened into a bridge support column. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) — The collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge lies on top of the container ship Dali in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 29, 2024, as clean-up work begins.. Cranes began arriving March 28 at the scene of the catastrophic bridge collapse over Baltimore harbor, as authorities shifted to a clean-up phase of the recovery and warned of extensive work before the major US port can reopen. Four men, all Latin American immigrants, are believed to have been killed when the Singapore-flagged container ship lost power and careened into a bridge support column. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN’s James Meyers
8:37 AM – Monday, April 15, 2024

The FBI has opened a criminal investigation on the container ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge last month, as they are looking to determine if the ship’s crew left the port knowing the ship was already not up to safety standards.

According to the Associated Press, the investigation is focused on the circumstances leading up to the bridge’s collapse and whether all federal laws were followed.

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

“There is no other public information available, and we will have no further comment,” the FBI added.

The FBI investigation comes after a 985-foot container ship lost power and crashed into the Baltimore bridge on March 26^th, causing it to instantly collapse.

Additionally, the collapse caused the construction crew working on it at the time to fall into the water, with six members dying, while two survived, according to officials.

Two “deficiencies” were flagged across 27 inspections of the ship since it was built in 2015, with the latest one being done in June 2023.

The container ship was last inspected September 9, 2023, by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York. No deficiencies were reported at the time.

Furthermore, the FBI’s investigation is separate from the other probe done 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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