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Partially collapsed bridge in Baltimore Harbor

Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Search and extensive clean-up work is currently ongoing. But the collapse of the car bridge in Baltimore will also have massive economic consequences, according to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Because of the importance of the port behind it, we are already preparing for supply chain problems, "which we know will come," said Buttigieg at a press conference on site on Tuesday afternoon (local time). These would then not only affect the region around Baltimore, "but the entire US economy."

After the incident, the responsible port authority suspended shipping traffic until further notice. According to Buttigieg, the main part of the port lies behind the collapsed bridge. According to US President Joe Biden, it is one of the most important maritime contact points in the USA - especially for the import and export of cars and small trucks.

According to this, around 850,000 vehicles are shipped through the port of Baltimore every year. Around 15,000 jobs depend on it. The bridge is also an important traffic artery on the east coast of the USA. According to Biden, before the accident, they crossed around 30,000 vehicles per day.

On Tuesday night, a container ship rammed the four-lane, more than 2.5 kilometer long Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US state of Maryland - causing it to collapse. After two people were initially rescued, the search for six missing people continued on Tuesday from the air and on the water.

Minister: Reconstruction will take a long time and be expensive

On Wednesday night, the authorities declared the search for survivors over. Because of the length of time spent searching and the water temperature, "we do not believe at this point that we will find any of these individuals alive," said Shannon Gilreath of the Coast Guard. A rescue operation for the suspected six dead would begin in the morning.

Buttigieg expressed his condolences to the relatives on Tuesday and praised the work of the rescue teams. He described the bridge as the “cathedral of American infrastructure.” The reconstruction will take a long time. "It won't be quick, it won't be cheap, but we will rebuild together."

When asked whether Americans should worry about the stability of the country's bridges, Buttigieg replied: "I don't know of any bridge that can withstand the direct impact of a ship of this size." However, the right conclusions must be drawn from the accident to learn from it.

jok/dpa