Baltimore bridge collapse: Eight Indian crew members of cargo ship that crashed into bridge leave for India

Eight Indian crew members of thecargo ship 'Dali' that crashed into a famed Baltimore bridge in March have left for India, the news agency PTI reported on Saturday (June 22). The BaltimoreMaritime Exchange said that four of the21 crew members are still on board the 984-foot cargo ship MV Dali, which is tentatively scheduled to leave.

The rest of the crew has been moved to a service apartment in Baltimore and will remain there pending an investigation, PTI reported.

20 of crew members aboard ship were Indians

Notably, 20 crew members aboard the MV Dali were Indians. The ship struckthe pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26 resulting in its collapse and the death of six construction workers in the tragic incident.

The departure of eight Indian crew members including a cook, a fitter, and seamen follows a deal approved by a court. None of these eight members are officers.

The rest 13 would remain in the US, mainly because of the pending investigations.

The vessel is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd and was outbound from Baltimore to Colombo and has a capacity of 10,000 TEU, with onboard units totalling 4,679 TEU. The vessel's deadweight is 116,851 DWT.

No crew member charged

None of the crew members have been charged in connection with the accident. TheFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other federal agencies are conducting the investigations.

(With inputs from agencies)