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Salvage work on the collapsed Francis Ford Key Bridge
Photo: Alex Brandon / AP
Emergency crews have recovered the bodies of two people from the Patapsco River near the collapsed bridge in Baltimore. Six workers who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge during the accident have been missing since Tuesday night. However, the authorities assume that the other four people are no longer alive.
On Tuesday evening, the US Coast Guard announced that the search for survivors would be suspended due to the low water temperature and darkness. The current and debris in the water are dangerous for the rescue workers. The only thing left to look for is the corpses of people.
According to Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld, eight construction workers were on the bridge repairing potholes at the time of the accident. Two people were rescued on Tuesday.
Investigations into the cause of the incident have already begun. The NTSB said the ship's data recorder from the container ship that rammed the structure had been recovered. The data recorder is of particular interest for reconstructing the event.
On Tuesday night, a huge container ship rammed a support pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The ship's crew had made an emergency call before the collision, which may have saved lives - because emergency services on land stopped the traffic and prevented more cars from getting onto the bridge. Nevertheless, large parts of the bridge collapsed as steel girders weighing tons were bent like thin wire due to the enormous force. According to the AP news agency, there were only about 90 seconds between the emergency call being received and the bridge collapsing.
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