A loose wire aboard the cargo ship Dali triggered a power failure that may have set off the deadly 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to findings presented Tuesday by National Transportation Safety Board investigators, as reported by the BBC and the Washington Post.

NTSB officials said during a public hearing that the disaster was “preventable,” noting that an electrical outage caused the massive vessel to veer off course in the final moments before the strike.

The agency said police stationed at both ends of the bridge were alerted that the ship had lost control but did not notify the construction crew’s inspector on the span. Six workers were on the bridge at the time.

NTSB engineer Scott Parent said, according to the Washington Post, that the workers could have had “about one minute and 29 seconds to evacuate” had they been warned when officers first learned of the danger.

Parent testified that such a window might have been “sufficient time to drive to a portion of the bridge that did not collapse,” potentially saving lives.

In the early hours of March 26, 2024,  the Dali slammed into a support column, sending a large section of the bridge crashing into the Patapsco River. Six workers plunged into the cold water and died, according to reporting from the BBC.

Documents released by the NTSB in 2024 showed the ship experienced an electrical blackout caused by problematic cables just before impact. Those findings were reinforced during Tuesday’s hearing.

A yearlong investigation has focused on the sequence of failures aboard the vessel, emergency communication lapses, and the structural vulnerability of the bridge. The NTSB is expected to vote on new safety recommendations when the proceedings conclude.

The collapse shut down a portion of Interstate 695 and paralyzed operations at the Port of Baltimore, one of the nation’s busiest commercial hubs, according to the BBC.

Initial federal and state estimates projected repair costs at roughly $1.9 billion, with completion expected by 2028.

But updated figures released Monday put the reconstruction price tag closer to $5 billion and pushed the estimated completion date to 2030, according to statements from Maryland officials.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, said Monday that rising costs were unavoidable, citing what he described as the impact of national economic forces.

“Just as families across the country are dealing with the reality of increased costs, so is Maryland,” Moore said in the statement.

He said trade policies “out of Washington, D.C.” have driven up prices for the steel, concrete, and other materials needed to rebuild the span.

“Still, despite this new economic reality, our resolve is unwavering,” Moore said.