BALTIMORE BRIDGE
Debunking the conspiracies surrounding the Baltimore bridge disaster
The search for the missing people has been called off as authorities are devising how the incident occured though the internet is awash with its own ideas.
It’s the second morning after the destruction of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Maryland. Authorities have called off the rescue search for the six people still unaccounted for, announcing they are transitioning to a recovery mission. The investigation into the bridge collapse is also underway.
“By design, the NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] works independently in their investigation, they are going to assess what happened top to bottom,” said Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg.
While authorities are only at the beginning of their investigations into how this tragedy occured, plenty of actors on social media were quick to ascertain blame. Here’s a deeper dive into the main conspiracy theories surrounding the Baltimore bridge collapse.
Cyber or terror attack
Andrew Tate, currently under investigation for sexual assault, as well as serial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones have claimed on X that the container ship Dali was hacked by cyber attackers, causing it to lose control and ram the bridge. This theory hinges on the ship’s lights flickering before impact, implying a cyberattack took over the navigation systems. This was broadcast to tens of millions of people.
While malfunctions can occur, there’s no evidence of a cyberattack. Modern cargo ships have robust security measures to prevent such intrusions. The flickering lights could be due to a simple electrical issue or a temporary loss of power, which investigators believe might be the main cause of the accident.
An intentional ramming?
Members of Donald Trump’s old government have speculated the Dali captain deliberately rammed the bridge in a terrorist attack or act of sabotage. There claim is based around the trajectory of the boat which changes direction before careering into the bridge.
However, there’s no evidence to support the claim this was intentional. Investigators are focusing on the reported power problems as a more likely explanation for the loss of control.
The data recorder of the ship was recovered on Wednesday morning. Analysis of this technology should allow authorities to ascertain what really happened with the crafts propulsion.
Politicising a tragedy
Other conspiracy theorists have injected their own politics into the tragedy. On Fox Business, anchor Maria Bartiromo suggested, without evidence, that the American- Mexican border was involved.
Researcher Mike Rothschild told NPR it has become “standard” for any unexpected event “to be run through a filter of conspiracy theories based on the personal brand of the person spreading the theory.”
Others have claimed the crash may have been influenced by the covid-19 pandemic. For these bad-faith pundits, even Baltimore’s 39-year old mayor, Brandon Scott, is a target because of his beliefs and how he looks. The thinly-veiled racist attacks on the progressive and black politician reached 20.5 million users on X.
There is absolutely no truth to any of these claims which are well beyond ridiculous. It’s a sad indictment of the discourse in the US that they are given any credence at all.