BALTIMORE: Three months after the Dali cargo ship lost power and crashed onto a bridge in Baltimore only eight crew members are left on board to go to India.

The ship was carrying 20 Indians and 1 Sri Lankan since March 26 when it lost propulsion and veered off-course, destroying the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Six construction workers were killed on the bridge in the incident. The FBI, and the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating the incident.

On Wednesday, the city of Baltimore filed a motion asking that the crew members remain in the country. A judge approved the deal on Thursday afternoon, after a hearing in court, to allow eight Indians fly home. The eight eligible crewmembers do not include any officer.

There are also a cook, an oiler, a fitter and several sailors. Eight crew members who will be arriving in India soon were allowed to leave after a deal was made that guaranteed that they could conduct interviews related to the lawsuit. The remaining crew, including all the officers of the ship, will have to remain in the United States for the duration of the litigation. This could take over a year.

According to a source familiar with the situation, the ship is scheduled to depart Friday evening for Norfolk. A source told ANI that the 13 crew members, mainly Indians, will remain in the US indefinitely and have been moved to service apartments.

The crew of four will remain on board the ship for the entire journey and will return in a short time to the service apartments.

Although no crew members have been charged with any crime in connection with this disaster, investigations are being conducted to determine who may be responsible. Baltimore Mayor has announced legal action to “hold wrongdoers accountable.”

In March, a shipping vessel named Dali lost power while leaving Baltimore Harbour for Sri Lanka. It slammed the Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused it to collapse.

Joe Biden, the US president, visited the Francis Scott Key Bridge at Baltimore on April 5. He vowed to move heaven and earth to rebuild the structure.