There were
20 Indians and one Sri Lankan on the ship since March 26, when the 984-foot ship lost propulsion, veered off
course and destroyed the Francis
Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Six construction
workers who were on the bridge were killed in the incident, which remains the
focus of two investigations by the FBI
and the National
Transportation Safety Board.
On Wednesday, 19 June, a motion was filed by the city
of Baltimore asking to keep the crew members in the country. But,
later on Thursday, after a court hearing, a
judge approved the deal that would allow eight Indians to fly home.
The eight eligible crew members do not include any officers.
They include a cook, a fitter, an oiler and several seamen. The eight members
who will arrive in India shortly were allowed to leave the United States after
a deal that ensured that they would be able to conduct lawsuit-related
interviews. The remaining crew members, including all of the ship’s officers,
will be required to stay in the United States until litigation involving the
crash is finished, which could take more than a year.
The ship is tentatively scheduled to leave Friday evening
for Norfolk, Virginia, according to a person familiar with the
developments. The 13 crew members, mostly Indians, who will stay
indefinitely in the US and are moved to service apartments
in Baltimore, a source informed ANI.
The crew of four members will stay on board for the journey and will return to
the service apartments in some time. While
none of the crew members have been charged in connection with the disaster,
investigations are underway to determine who might be responsible. Baltimore mayor
has announced a legal action to “hold the wrongdoers responsible.”
In March, the shipping vessel named the Dali lost power on its way out
of Baltimore Harbour to Sri Lanka and slammed into the Francis
Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse.
On April 5, US President Joe Biden visited the Francis
Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and vowed to “move heaven
and Earth” to rebuild the structure.