The container ship Dali is shown amidst the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Six people are missing after the Dali lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's support columns.

Federal officials investigating the 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore said the deadly incident was "preventable" at a board meeting on Nov. 18.

The Dali - a 984-foot container ship - lost power, propulsion and steering and struck a pier that supported the central span of the bridge on March 26, 2024. The bridge then fell into the Patapsco River, killing six construction workers.

The National Transportation Safety Board said a loose wire led to the power failure during a hearing in Washington, D.C., to address the probable cause of the incident and recommendations to prevent something similar from happening again.

"The fact is, we shouldn’t be here today; this tragedy should’ve never occurred … lives should’ve never been lost," Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board said in her opening remarks. "As with all accidents we investigate, this was preventable."

The board staff said they are recommending operators complete periodic inspections of high voltage switchboards and proposing changes that would allow ships to more quickly recover from loss of power.

The findings and recommendations come after state transportation officials announced the replacement bridge will cost between $4.3 billion to $5.2 billion and won't open until late 2030, an increase in cost and delay in time from earlier estimates. They cited increased material costs and a new pier protection system as reasons for the increased cost.

Officials should have known bridge was vulnerable

Homendy previously told reporters that local officials should have known that risk of collapse due to collision was 30 times above the accepted federal threshold. She slammed the Maryland Transportation Authority for not conducting an assessment to understand vulnerabilities.

“The MDTA would have been aware that this bridge was at risk,” Homendy said in March. “MdTA would have had information to proactively identify strategies to prevent the risk of collapse and loss of life.”

Homendy also urged bridge owners nationwide to conduct risk assessments. Around the country, 68 bridges in 19 states - including iconic structures like the Golden Gate Bridge, Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge and George Washington Bridge - have not had assessments done, according to the NTSB.

Contributing: Reuters; Michael Loria, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Baltimore bridge collapse that killed 6 was 'preventable,' federal investigators say

Reporting by N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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