Baltimore Bridge

A large bridge

On March 26, 2024, at 12:44 a.m. on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, a few bridge maintenance workers were taking a break. Some were eating, and some were talking about their plans for the weekend and how they could not wait to go home to be with their families. It was a routine night shift.

The Dali container ship carrying 4,700 containers, left the Port of Baltimore at 12:44 a.m. bound for Columbia, Sri Lanka. At 1:24 a.m. the ship suffered a “complete blackout” and began to drift out of the shipping channel.

At 1:27 a.m., a Mayday call was made from the Dali container ship, notifying the Maryland Department of Transportation that the crew had lost propulsion and control of the vessel and that a collision with the bridge was possible.

At 1:28:45 a.m., the ship struck the southwest pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and within seconds the bridge broke apart in several places, leaving sections protruding from the water and the roadway’s approaches cut off. The main span fell onto the ship’s bow, and a section of it came to rest there.

Emergency teams began receiving 911 calls at 1:30 a.m. The Baltimore Police Department was alerted to the collapse at 1:35 a.m. Large rescue and recovery efforts were begun. The Coast Guard deployed boats and a helicopter as part of rescue efforts.

Six people, all part of the maintenance crew, were reported missing. Their bodies were all recovered from underwater by May 7.

This was a major disaster that happened within a matter of minutes. A bridge collapsed and more importantly, lives were lost. The men working on the bridge had no warning that their lives would be lost that day. Six people ushered into eternity…

Dear friend,

You must meet God. It might happen suddenly to you with no warnings. Are you ready? “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). When you stand before God, will you be stained with your sin, or will you have been washed clean through faith in Jesus Christ?

God has provided a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is able to rescue every sinner who receives Him as their savior. The Lord Jesus Christ became the Savior of sinners by coming down from Heaven and dying on the cross for our sins. God raised Him from the dead, and He is now a living Savior at God’s right hand in Heaven. Trust in Him. No matter what you’ve done, He can save you now!

The issue is very clear: your response to the Lord Jesus Christ now will determine your destiny for eternity.

“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Would you accept Him now, tomorrow might be too late! “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).


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