Cargo ship crew members can go home under agreement allowing questioning amid bridge collapse probes

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and SARAH BRUMFIELD
Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) — Crew members on the cargo ship Dali can head home under an agreement that allows lawyers to question them amid ongoing investigations into the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Judge James K. Bredar confirmed with attorneys at a hearing Thursday morning that the agreement was in place and asked why he wasn’t notified sooner that it had been reached. Earlier this week, attorneys asked the judge to prevent crew members from returning to their home countries as investigations continue into the collapse. According to emails in court filings, eight crew members were scheduled to return home as early as Thursday. The roughly two dozen total seafarers hail from India and Sri Lanka.