The FBI has launched a federal criminal investigation into the March 26 bridge collapse in Maryland, The Washington Post reported on Monday, citing two US officials familiar with the matter.
The FBI was present aboard the freighter Dali while conducting court-authorised law enforcement activities, the agency said in a statement Monday.
The container ship Dali left the Port of Baltimore in the early morning hours of March 26, loaded with cargo and bound for Sri Lanka, when it struck one of the bridge’s support columns, causing the span to collapse into the Patapsco River and killing six members of the road crew.
Divers recovered three bodies from the wreckage, while the other three victims are still missing.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said in early April that investigators were focusing on the electrical system of the huge container ship, which veered off course. Moments before the crash, the ship experienced power problems, as evidenced by video footage showing lights going out and coming back on.
The information obtained from the ship’s flight recorder is relatively straightforward, Homendy said, “so the information from the engine room will help us a lot.”
