Twenty Indians and a Sri Lankan, all crew members, are still stranded miles away from home in the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali, which struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in USA's Maryland, sending a part of it crashing into the Patapsco river.
The crew cannot disembark because of visa restrictions. They also do not have shore passes as investigations by The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FBI into the crash are continuing.
Among those who contacted the stranded crews were members of the Seamen's Church Institute (SCI). It took them time get clearance to board the ship, but once they did they found that though there seemed to be no lack of provisions most of the crew members were worried about the situation, the SCI said in a post on its website.
As of now it is learnt that the stranded men have been provided mobile phones to get in touch with their families.
Joshua Messick, executive director of a non-profit organisation working to protect mariners' rights was also quoted by news agencies as saying the crew could not communicate with their loved ones or the outside world as the FBI had confiscated their phones.
Some of the crewmen are worried they will be implicated.
The 948 feet Dali was on its way from Baltimore in the US to Sri Lanka when equipment on board stopped working after what the NTSB said were two electrical blackouts. Losing power twice in 10 hours before the crash the ship drifted directionless until it hit a pillar of the bridge.
As mangled remains of the bridge were removed on Monday from the bow of The Dali, under which it had remained trapped for close to two months, crew members wondered when they would be freed.
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