Baltimore bridge collapse caused by accidental ship collision, not 'false flag' | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·4 min read

The claim: Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse was a false flag

A March 26 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows a man pointing to a freeze frame from video of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsing in Baltimore.

"You can see an explosion occur," the man says, gesturing to a plume of smoke rising from the bridge. "I've seen enough demos to know a demolition when I see one. Um, that's a false flag."

The post garnered more than 400 likes in a day. Other versions of the claim were shared on Instagram, Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

Footage, photos and statements by officials prove the bridge's collapse was caused by a cargo ship striking it. It was not demolished as part of a false flag operation.

Abundance of evidence shows bridge was struck by cargo ship

As has become routine following unexpected tragic events, some social media users speculated the March 26 collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge was staged. The term "false flag," which is often used in such claims, refers to a "harmful, often militant, event or action that is designed to appear as though perpetrated by someone other than the person or group responsible for it," according to Britannica.

There is an abundance of evidence proving that's not the case here, though.

The footage referenced by the Instagram user shows the cargo ship Dali losing power and crashing into the bridge, causing its collapse on March 26. Officials say the ship suffered a complete loss of propulsion, and though the ship's pilot tried to steer and drop the ship's anchor to slow it down, neither was enough to avert a collision. The crew broadcast a mayday call, and the ship crashed into the bridge's southern support tower at 1:27 a.m.

Experts previously told USA TODAY that the footage wasn't consistent with an explosive detonation.

Kyle Perry, an explosives expert and an associate professor in the mining and explosives engineering department at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, said the fire shown in the video "appears to come from electrical cables being severed," not an explosive. He said high explosives like dynamite would cause "a bright flash of light with some potential flash of fire if any combustible material is very close by.”

Other lights presented as explosions on various social media posts are actually lights in the city behind the bridge, said Ben Schafer, a professor of civil and systems engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He noted the lights don't move as the bridge falls.

No explosive residue was found in the water either, as would be the case with the detonation of any explosive, according to Dan Frangopol, the chair of structural engineering and architecture at Lehigh University and the founding president of the International Association for Bridge Maintenance and Safety.

Fact check: No evidence of cyberattack in Baltimore ship collision, officials say

Compared to footage of controlled bridge demolitions, the Baltimore bridge collapse also produced significantly less dust and smoke.

Numerous officials, such as the Secretary of Homeland Security and the FBI's Baltimore office, said there's no evidence the bridge's collapse was intentional. President Joe Biden labeled the tragedy a "terrible accident" in a March 26 press briefing.

Though police called for traffic to be shut down on either side of the bridge, which officials say saved lives, a group of eight workers were still repairing asphalt when the bridge was hit. Two were rescued on March 26, one unharmed and one in "very serious condition," and the bodies of two more were discovered by divers the next day. Four workers were still missing as of March 28.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

PolitiFact debunked a similar claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, Key bridge collision wasn't a 'false flag' | Fact check