An Australian engineer said he was stunned by the collapse of a bridge on the east coast of North America.
He said that the force of the collision with the ship probably caused the span to fall.
Over 20 people are feared dead after the collision between a cargo vessel and the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
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The impact from the collision caused the roadway of the bridge to break apart.
It also sent sections of the structure crashing into the river below. Colin Caprani, a structural engineering professor at Melbourne’s Monash University, was shocked by the incident.
He said that it was surprising that something like this could happen, given that the ship was out of position and did not appear to be in a major navigation channel.
Although the details of the bridge are still unclear, it is believed that the construction of modern bridges has more robust structural protections.
In a statement, the company that owns the ship said that its vessel, the Singapore-flagged vessel, the Dali, hit a pillar of the bridge.
The exact cause of the accident is still unclear, but the company noted that the vessel and its crew members were accounted for and there were no reports of injuries.
According to Caprani, a ship of this size, which is almost 50 meters wide and 300 meters long, has a significant amount of force when combined with its speed.
He noted that the force was applied to a vital support, which caused the whole structure to collapse.
Although it is still not clear why the bridge was out of position, it is important to consider the need to update the standards for bridges that are over 50 years old.
Despite the tragic incident, he is still hopeful that there were only minimal casualties.