By Reena Bhardwaj
Baltimore [US], June 22 : Three months after the MV Dali cargo ship lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore, eight crew members have left for India with only a handful of crew on board.
There were 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan on the ship since March 26, when the 984-foot ship lost propulsion, veered off course and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Six construction workers who were on the bridge were killed in the incident, which remains the focus of two investigations by the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board.
On Wednesday, a motion was filed by the city of Baltimore asking to keep the crew members in the country. But, later on Thursday, after a court hearing, a judge approved the deal that would allow eight Indians to fly home. The eight eligible crewmembers do not include any officers.
They include a cook, a fitter, an oiler and several seamen. The eight members who will arrive in India shortly were allowed to leave the United States after a deal that ensured that they would be able to conduct lawsuit-related interviews. The remaining crewmembers, including all of the ship's officers, will be required to stay in the United States until litigation involving the crash is finished, which could take more than a year.
The ship is tentatively scheduled to leave Friday evening for Norfolk, Virginia, according to a person familiar with the developments. The 13 crew members, mostly Indians, who will stay indefinitely in the US and are moved to service apartments in Baltimore, a source informed ANI.
The crew of four members will stay on board for the journey and will return to the service apartments in some time.
While none of the crew members have been charged in connection with the disaster, investigations are underway to determine who might be responsible. Baltimore mayor has announced a legal action to "hold the wrongdoers responsible."
In March, the shipping vessel named the Dali lost power on its way out of Baltimore Harbour to Sri Lanka and slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse.
On April 5, US President Joe Biden visited the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and vowed to "move heaven and Earth" to rebuild the structure.
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