21 sailors from India and Sri Lanka are still isolated and have been unable to return home for 49 days, as they are stuck aboard a motionless vessel pinned by Baltimore Bridge, which collapsed seven weeks ago and left six people dead.

On Monday (May 13), a controlled explosion rocked the Dali, a 948 ft (289 m) container ship that was on a 27-day journey from Baltimore, USA, to Sri Lanka when it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, leading to its entrapment under the collapsed structure.

The controlled explosion, which was conducted by authorities with the involvement of the US Coast Guard, aimed to demolish and remove debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge in an effort to free the stranded Dali and allow it to be refloated and eventually moved to port.

21 crewmen are still isolated and have been unable to return home for 49 days, as they are stuck aboard a motionless vessel pinned by Baltimore Bridge

Image credits: The Sun

However, it is currently still unclear when the crew will be able to disembark and return home, prolonging their isolation and uncertainty.

The crewmen, who are still stuck on the ship, have had their phones seized by investigators, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Tuesday.

On May 13, a controlled explosion rocked the Dali container ship that was on a 27-day journey from Baltimore to Sri Lanka when it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26

Image credits: BBC

Joshua Messick, the executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center, a non-profit organization that works to protect the rights of mariners, told the BBC: “They can’t do any online banking.

“They can’t pay their bills at home.

“They don’t have any of their data or anyone’s contact information, so they’re really isolated right now.

“They just can’t reach out to the folks they need to, or even look at pictures of their children before they go to sleep. It’s really a sad situation.”

The controlled explosion aimed to demolish and remove debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge in an effort to free the stranded Dali

Image credits: BBC

The bodies of the six construction workers who were fixing potholes on the bridge when it collapsed, killing them, have been pulled from the water.

Some of the workers have been reportedly worrying they’ll be held personally liable for the disaster.

“While some crew members are coping, morale has understandably dipped,” two unions representing the seafarers said in a statement, the AP reported.

It is currently still unclear when the crew will be able to disembark and return home

Image credits: BBC

A preliminary (NTSB) report found that two electrical blackouts disabled equipment ahead of the incident and noted that the ship lost power twice in the 10 hours leading up to the crash, the BBC reported on Wednesday (May 15).

The crew, made up of 20 Indians and a Sri Lankan national, has reportedly been unable to disembark because of visa restrictions, a lack of required shore passes, and parallel ongoing investigations by the NTSB and FBI.

The crewmen have had their phones seized by investigators

Ahead of the controlled demolition, US Coast Guard Admiral Shannon Gilreath said that the crew would remain below deck with a fire crew at the ready, the BBC reported.

“They’re part of the ship. They are necessary to keep the ship staffed and operational,” Adm. Gilreath said. “They’re the best responders on board the ship themselves.”

On March 26, 2024, at 1:28 a.m. EDT, the Francis Scott Key Bridge across the Patapsco River in the Baltimore metropolitan area of Maryland collapsed after the Dali struck one of its piers.

The collapse blocked most shipping to and from the Port of Baltimore and was described as a “global crisis” by Maryland’s governor, Wes Moore.

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