International News
Six Presumed Dead After Baltimore Bridge Collapse
Authorities on Tuesday suspended their search for six people missing after a packed cargo ship slammed into a Baltimore bridge, causing it to collapse and blocking one of the busiest US commercial harbors.
“Based on the length of time that we’ve gone in this search, the extensive search efforts that we put into it, the water temperature… at this point we do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive,” US Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath told a press conference as night fell.
All six people were members of a nighttime construction crew who were repairing potholes on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when disaster struck not long after midnight.
“We’re going away from the search and rescue portion to a recovery operation,” said Roland Butler, Maryland’s secretary of state police.
He said the temperatures and currents were making it difficult for divers to continue working underwater, but that boats would continue patrolling overnight.
Video footage showed the packed container ship slamming into one of the bridge’s supports, causing the 1977-built steel structure to collapse like a deck of cards.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said earlier that quick thinking by authorities once the ship issued a mayday call allowed them to stop vehicles from driving onto the bridge.
“These people are heroes. They saved lives last night,” he told a press conference.
The FBI and other agencies stressed that there was no known connection to terrorism.
“The preliminary investigation points to an accident,” Moore said.
Paul Wiedefeld, the Maryland transportation chief, said the crew working on the bridge was “basically repairing potholes, just so you understand that had nothing to do with a structural issue at all.”
President Joe Biden called the collapse a “terrible accident,” and pledged to get the port reopened and the bridge rebuilt.
Governor Moore, a rising star in the Democratic party, told CNN that the focus was now to make sure victims’ families “can find closure.”
Two of the missing workers were from Guatemala, the country’s foreign ministry said, while local news outlet The Baltimore Banner reported that Mexican, Salvadoran and Honduran nationals were also among the victims.
Attempt to drop anchors
From the banks of the Patapsco River, steel girders could be seen protruding from the water, with mangled metal draped over the deck of the massive ship.
“This is something we’ve been looking at our whole lives,” said teacher Tiffany Wengert, 30.
“And all of the sudden… it’s just gone.”
Details emerged on how the crew tried to avert disaster after their ship lost power and began careening toward the bridge.
“Just prior to the incident, the vessel, Dali, had experienced momentary loss of propulsion. As a result, it was unable to maintain the desired heading and collided,” said the maritime authority for Singapore, where the Dali is flagged.
The authority said the ship’s management company, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, reported the crew “dropped anchors” in a last-ditch attempt to hold the ship back.
Federal investigators expect recordings from the vessel to be critical to help determine what happened, said Jennifer Homendy, head of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is overseeing the investigation.
Butler, with Maryland state police, said divers on Wednesday morning will “begin a more detailed search to do our very best to recover those six missing people.”
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, named after the poet who penned the lyrics to the US national anthem, is an important link in the East Coast highway system, used by about 34,000 vehicles every day.
There are other bridges and tunnels for drivers to cross the harbor. However, the tangled steel barrier now lying half-submerged across the harbor entrance blocks almost all maritime traffic.
The Port of Baltimore is the ninth-busiest major US port in terms of both foreign cargo handled and foreign cargo value, and is directly responsible for more than 15,000 jobs, supporting almost 140,000 more.
“There is no question that this will be a major and protracted impact to supply chains,” US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg warned, adding it was “too soon” to know when the port might reopen.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott described the bridge as an “unthinkable tragedy… like something out of an action movie.”
“We have to be thinking about the families and people impacted,” he said.
Brazil superstar Neymar was handed a dramatic recall to the country’s World Cup squad on Monday, returning to the national team after a near three-year absence.
The inclusion of Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances, was the biggest surprise in the 26-man squad named by coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Ancelotti announced Neymar’s selection at a gala ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, with loud cheers ringing out as the veteran attacker’s call-up was confirmed.
Speculation has raged for months over whether the 34-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker would force his way back into the national team set-up.
The forward, a veteran of the 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cups, had not played for Brazil since suffering a knee injury during a World Cup qualifying game against Uruguay in 2023.
A mixture of injuries and poor form had left him outside the national team setup, with Ancelotti citing concerns over his fitness after leaving him out of Brazil’s squad for March friendlies against France and Croatia.
However, Neymar, who rejoined boyhood club Santos in January after an injury-ravaged stint in Saudi Arabia, has now earned Ancelotti’s stamp of approval for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Brazil, who are chasing a record sixth World Cup crown, open their World Cup campaign against Morocco on June 13 before playing Haiti and Scotland in Group C.
Brazil World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool/ENG), Ederson (Fenerbahce/TUR), Weverton (Gremio/BRA)
Defenders
Alex Sandro (Flamengo/BRA), Danilo (Flamengo/BRA), Leo Pereira (Flamengo/BRA), Bremer (Juventus/ITA), Douglas Santos (Zenit St Petersburg/RUS), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal/ENG), Ibanez (Al-Ahli/KSA), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Wesley (Roma/ITA)
Midfielders
Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle/ENG), Casemiro (Manchester United/ENG), Danilo (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad/KSA), and Lucas Paqueta (Flamengo/BRA).
Forwards
Endrick (Lyon/FRA), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal/ENG), Igor Thiago (Brentford/ENG), Luiz Henrique (Zenit/RUS), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United/ENG), Neymar (Santos/BRA), Raphinha (Barcelona/ESP), Rayan (Bournemouth/ENG), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid/ESP)
AFP
Barcelona completes contract renewal with head coach Hansi Flick, per official announcement.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Flick’s new contract with Barcelona runs until June 2028, with an option to extend until June 2029, meaning the coach could stay for three more seasons.
In his first season in charge, Flick led the team to a domestic treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.
This season, Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup again and retained the La Liga title, bringing his total to five trophies in two seasons.
Erling Haaland will follow in the footsteps of David Beckham and Vinnie Jones by taking his first steps into the acting world, with the Norwegian striker set to make his film debut.
The Manchester City striker will voice a character described as ‘an animated version of himself’, in the upcoming animated film Viqueens.
This is according to the Hollywood Reporter, who say that the 25-year-old is playing a Viking called Haaland in the motion picture.
The adventure-comedy is directed and co-written by the award-winning Harald Zwart, the Norwegian director known for The Karate Kid and Agent Cody Banks.
‘As a Norwegian storyteller making a Viking adventure for a global audience, having Erling Haaland join feels incredibly exciting,’ said Zwart.
‘Erling has already become a kind of real-life Viking icon around the world – powerful, fearless and uniquely Norwegian.
‘Bringing him into this universe as himself gives the film an unexpected energy and authenticity that felt completely right for this story.’
Solveig Langeland, managing director of Sola Media, added: ‘Erling Haaland transcends sports – he’s a global cultural figure.
‘His involvement brings another exciting dimension to a film that already combines international adventure, humour, and emotional storytelling in a way we believe will resonate with audiences everywhere.’
He follows the likes of Beckham and Jones, who have already hit the cinema screens around the country.
Beckham made his silver screen debut in his pal Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur back in 2017 alongside film stars Charlie Hunnam and Eric Bana, playing hardened battleguard Trigger in the flick.
Meanwhile, Jones is known for portraying gangsters on screen, and as recently as 2024 played gamekeeper Geoff in Ritchie’s series The Gentlemen, featuring Theo James.
He famously also played Coach Dinklage in She’s the Man, and was The Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand.
Haaland may need a while before he becomes the big actor that Jones has become, though, with plenty of years on the pitch still ahead of him.
The striker’s focus will currently be on winning the Premier League with Manchester City, as they look to hunt down Arsenal, who are two points ahead at the top, with two games to go.
Haaland will next be in action on Tuesday night as they travel to Bournemouth.
-
Health & Wellness9 months agoPresident Tinubu Directs Cut in Dialysis Cost from ₦50,000 to ₦12,000
-
News10 months agoPICTURE: In Lagos Couple Sentenced to 22½ Years for Cannabis Trafficking
-
Trending News9 months agoNELFUND Disburses ₦86bn To 449,000 Beneficiaries
-
Business2 months agoDangote Refinery Reduces Petrol Gantry Price To ₦1,200 Per Litre
-
International News2 months agoIndian Police Arrest Nigerian Over ₦290m Drug Haul
-
Business2 years agoHeritage Bank Customers’ Path to Securing ₦5m Insured Funds: A Step-By-Step Guide by NDIC”
-
Business2 months agoAfter Plea Bargain, Court Discharges Stella Oduah of ₦2.5bn Fraud
-
Business2 years ago
Dangote; We Did Not Fix ₦600/Litre Petrol Price