The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday, which was hit by a cargo ship that lost power, has sparked an avalanche of conspiracy theories and unexpected connections of Republican politicians to the policies of the Biden administration or the war in Ukraine. , associates of Donald Trump and influencers, write the Washington Post and Forbes.

Both the White House and the FBI’s Baltimore office have denied theories that the freighter that crashed into the Baltimore bridge was the target of a cyber attack.

The theory was spread by an influencer’s post Andrew Tatewho claimed that “US foreign agents” were to blame, the post had been viewed nearly 19 million times by Wednesday afternoon, according to Forbes.

Similar theory distributed by politician Marjorie Taylor Greena Trump ally in the House of Representatives, who called for a “serious investigation,” questioned whether the bridge was the target of a “deliberate attack” and included a video from the MJTruthUltra conspiracy account claiming so.

Matt Wallace, an influencer with 1.6 million followers, also used his platform to link the disaster to Barack and Michelle Obama, referencing Obama’s Netflix movie “Leaving the World Behind,” which features a scene with an oil tanker that went off aground coast of Long Island amid a nationwide power outage.

Wallace’s post suggested that the movie somehow predicted the event, and was accompanied by a video that suggested the crash was connected to the former Democratic president.

Other theories claimed that the collapse of the bridge was orchestrated by a Ukrainian pilot with ties to the United States, or that the bridge was a special target for people trying to blow up America.

“Stop sending money to Ukraine”

Politically, Republicans have found an opportunity to attack the Joe Biden administration and local Democratic leadership.

Republican politician Phil Leemanmember of the House of Representatives, attacked Baltimore Port Commissioner Carentia Barber, a black woman, accusing her of prioritizing diversity and inclusion policies over the well-being and safety of citizens.

Later Tuesday, Lyman told the Salt Lake Tribune that he had not authorized the comments before his team released them, saying the post about Barber “wasn’t the best moment for us” and that “it was an impulsive reaction to some other things.” people taught there.”

In an interview with Republican Senator Rick Scott, Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo tried to link this incident to migration. She spoke about “the possibility of crimes, given the wide open border.”

Ukraine also entered the discussion, again, in a message published by Marjorie Taylor Green. “A bridge collapsed in Baltimore. Translation from the swamp: “Send money to Ukraine!”. STOP sending money abroad and fix the problems with AMERICA first,” she wrote on X.

Maryland Republicans, however, tried to send a more unifying message in response to the tragedy, writes the Washington Post.

In a statement Tuesday, the Baltimore City Republican Party pledged to “support” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, in what they called “the biggest challenge of his tenure.”

Dennis Betzel, second vice chairman of the Baltimore City Republican Central Committee, also noted that “six people died” in the end. “This is the beginning and the end of this conversation. I don’t care what your political orientation is,” he added.

How the accident happened

US authorities announced that they have recovered the remains of two people who died after the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed on Tuesday after being struck by the freighter Dali. Four more people are presumed dead and are still missing.

The victims were construction workers who were on the bridge to plug holes when the Singapore-flagged ship Dali crashed into the abutment of the bridge.

The scans led officials to believe there are still vehicles under the water, but they are trapped under the structures that collapsed Tuesday morning.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the bridge was recently inspected and had no structural problems.

Engineering specialists explained that the metal bridge, inaugurated in 1977, did not have the reliability of newer bridges.

The 288.95-meter vessel suffered a momentary loss of propulsion and dropped anchor as part of emergency procedures before the collision, its management company Synergy Marine Pte Ltd said, according to the Port of Singapore Authority.

The same vessel was involved in an incident in the port of Antwerp, Belgium in 2016, hitting a berth while attempting to leave a North Sea container terminal.

A 2023 inspection in San Antonio, Chile found deficiencies in “propulsion and auxiliary mechanisms,” according to Equasis, a public website that provides information about the ships.