‘Racist’ cartoon targets Indian crew members of ship which hit Baltimore bridge, receives flak from social media users

After six persons are presumed to be lifeless following a powerless cargo ship smashing into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, a ‘racist’ cartoon depicting the incident has stirred a storm.

While a number of, together with US President Joe Biden, are praising the Indian crew on the ship, the ‘racist’ cartoon is receiving quite a bit of flak.

The Singapore-flagged container ship Dali misplaced energy and crashed right into a concrete pier supporting the bridge on Tuesday.

Within seconds nearly your complete bridge collapsed and plunged into what officers stated was roughly 50 ft of frigid water beneath.

Biden praised the ship’s crew, most of whom had been Indians for his or her immediate Mayday name which prompted authorities to close down visitors to the bridge, probably saving lives.

A day later, a US-based webcomic shared a cartoon depicting the incident. The animated video reveals unkempt males dressed solely in loincloths getting ready for the upcoming crash and was directed on the crew on the ship.

“Last recognized recording from contained in the Dali moments earlier than impression,” Foxford Comics wrote on X (previously Twitter) whereas sharing the video. The cartoon additionally had the audio of folks swearing at one another in English however with a powerful Indian accent.

The graphic has gone viral inside minutes of being shared on-line garnering 4.2 million views and 2k feedback.

The account is being criticised not only for its racist depiction of Indians, but additionally for undermining the ship’s crew.

Sharing the cartoon, Indian economist Sanjeev Sanyal wrote that the ship was possible being steered by a neighborhood pilot on the time of the incident.

“At the time that the ship hit the bridge, it will have had a neighborhood pilot. In any case, the crew had warned the authorities which is why the casualties had been comparatively few (for such a catastrophe). The mayor in truth thanked the Indian crew as “heroes” for elevating an alarm that restricted casualties,” he stated.

Another X person, Pooja Sangwan, echoed the sentiment and stated, “It’s shameful that persons are mocking Indian crew for the tragic incident. Meanwhile the governor himself praised the crew.”

The bridge collapse is prone to have a major impression on the US economic system as Baltimore is the most important vehicle-handling port within the nation, together with automobiles and heavy farm tools, in keeping with US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. About $100 to $200 million in worth comes via the port every day.