Six are presumed to be dead after the fallout of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The US Coast Guard called off the search for the six missing construction workers on Tuesday night, who were filling potholes in the bridge when a cargo ship collided with it and caused the bridge to collapse.
The Francis Scott Key bridge was a steel arch opened on 1977, named after poet Francis Scott Key, author of the Star-Spangled Banner song. It carried an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually and was a critical link for trucks and cars, linking Washington, Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia.
The US Coast Guard called off the search for the six missing Tuesday night, who said they presume the men to be dead, as the water below is cold and too much time has passed since the bridge’s collapse – on 2 March, on 1:27 EDT time.
It has transitioned from a search and rescue mission to a recovery mission, as the US Coast Guard will try to find all victims of the bridge collapse to bring closure to their families, according to a spokesperson.
Today Baltimore Mayor Brandon M Scott tweeted: “Spending the day continuing to help coordinate response this morning, especially with our dedicated dive teams and first responders who are continuing the recovery work.”
In his remarks about the bridge collapse, President Joe Biden said he had spoken with Governor Moore, the Mayor of Baltimore and County Executive and would be sending “all the federal resources they need” their way.
“Everything so far indicates that this was a terrible accident. At this time, we have no other indication — no other reason to believe there was any intentional act here.
“Personnel on board the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of their vessel, as you all know and have reported. As a result, local authorities were able to close the bridge to traffic before the bridge was struck, which undoubtedly saved lives.”
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