Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge was at high risk of collapsing if it was struck by a ship, federal safety investigators said Thursday, but Maryland officials never conducted a review — and even lacked the necessary data to do one.

Sixty-eight bridges across the US should be assessed to see if they are at risk of collapse if hit by a ship, transportation safety officials found, while urging the bridges’ owners to undertake immediate vulnerability assessments.

Federal investigators have determined that the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) failed to complete a crucial vulnerability assessment that could have identified the Francis Scott Key Bridge as being at high risk of collapse from a ship strike well before last year's disaster.