US Charges 2 Companies and Ship Employee for Deadly Baltimore Bridge Collapse

The US Justice Department said two foreign companies and a ship employee were charged on Tuesday for the 2024 collision that destroyed a Baltimore bridge and killed six workers.
Two companies, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, and an employee, Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, are charged with conspiracy and other crimes.
The US attorney general said the bridge collapse was a preventable tragedy.
The charged person, Nair, is believed to be in India, and it is not clear if the US has asked India for help to bring him to the US.
The companies and person are charged with working together to cheat the US and causing the death of six workers.
The companies and person are also charged with giving false information to the National Transportation Security Board.
There is information about the Baltimore bridge collapse.
The two companies are also charged with breaking environmental laws for polluting a river.
The ship, Dali, lost power twice in a short time and crashed into a bridge column, causing parts of the bridge to fall into the river.
The Justice Department said the defendants used a wrong pump to supply fuel to the ship's generators.
If the ship had used the right fuel pumps, it would have had power to safely pass under the bridge.
An investigation found that two blackouts on the ship caused it to crash into the bridge.
The bridge was an important transportation route that allowed drivers to avoid downtown traffic.
The collision caused at least $5 billion in damages and environmental harm.
The cost of the collapse was much higher, causing problems for many people and the economy.
The charges come after a settlement was reached between the state and the companies involved.
The lawsuit said the crash was caused by negligence and reckless operation of the ship.
The details of the settlement have not been made public, and some parts of the lawsuit are still unresolved.