Racist cartoon mocking Indians over Baltimore bridge collapse sparks criticism on internet

After the accident of the cargo ship Dali with Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, a racist cartoon depicting the Indian crew in the ship emerged and sparked outrage.

US-based web comic Foxford Comics shared a cartoon on X a day after the incident with the caption: "Last known recording from inside the Dali moments before impact."

The cartoon showed some men wearing only loincloths inside a ship panicking before an apparent accident. The inappropriate portrayal of Indians irked the netizens who slammed the makers of the cartoon.

The apparently AI generated photo is with an audio of men hurling expletives and in a very thick Indian accent.

"Came across this pathetic racist cartoon mocking the Indian crew on board the ship that brought down the bridge in Baltimore. The crew have been hailed as heroes, what makes the cartoonist think this is funny?" wrote one user on X.

"This is the racist cartoon going around directed at the 22 Indian crew members of the ship that struck bridge in #Baltimore. The illustration shows unkempt men dressed only in loincloths preparing for the impending crash. How can the world turn so unkind? This is pathetic," wrote another user.

The entire 22-member crew of the cargo ship that struck the major bridge in Baltimore were Indians.

The 1.6-mile (2.57 km) long Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed on March 26, after a cargo ship hit it, and as many as eight people who were fixing a pot hole on the bridge, fell in the water.

While US President Joe Biden hailed the prompt action of the 22-member Indian crew of the cargo ship which saved lives by alerting local authorities before the dramatic collision, the cartoon triggered an outrage on the internet for obvious reasons.