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The Francis Scott Key Bridge

Photo: Jasper Colt / USA TODAY Network / IMAGO

After the collapse of a highway bridge in the US city of Baltimore, the cleanup phase has begun. Several cranes arrived at the scene of the accident on Thursday. Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced that the U.S. Army Engineer Corps was moving "the largest crane on the East Coast to Baltimore to help us."

The Coast Guard's Shannon Gilreath explained the work ahead: "Before we can start lifting, we need to figure out how to cut the bridge into the right pieces so we can recover it with the crane."

The Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River collapsed early Tuesday morning after a container ship rammed a bridge pier. Authorities believe six construction workers who were on the bridge at the time of the collapse were killed. The bodies of two construction workers were recovered on Wednesday, but the search for the remaining four was initially suspended.

"The water is so dark and the debris is so close together that in most cases our divers cannot see more than a meter or two," said Governor Moore. The cleanup would take months, Moore said. "We have a very long way to go."

During the accident, practically the entire steel structure collapsed within a few seconds. The Port of Baltimore, one of the largest cargo ports in the USA, remains closed for the time being. Reopening is “our number one priority,” said Coast Guard Officer Gilreath.

Meanwhile, investigations into the cause of the accident were continuing. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released footage of investigators boarding the ill-fated ship "Dali" on Thursday. NTSB and Coast Guard officials took photographs and examined debris on deck.

"To whomever, to everyone: the whole bridge just collapsed"

The ship's crew had made an emergency call before the collision, which probably saved lives - because officers on land stopped the traffic and prevented more cars from getting onto the bridge. “A ship is approaching that has just become rudderless,” can be heard in a police audio recording from the night of the accident that was published on the Internet. “Stop the traffic on the Key Bridge.” A few seconds before the collision, one of them announced Officials then drove to the bridge to bring the workers to safety. But at 1:29 a.m. the accident had already happened: "To whomever, to everyone: the whole bridge has just collapsed."

Head of the authority Jennifer Homendy presented the first details of the investigation on Thursday evening (local time). Investigators secured, among other things, the so-called ship data recorder. This is particularly important for researching the cause. According to the recordings, crew members reported shortly before the collision that the freighter had power problems and was no longer propulsive. How this came about is still unclear.

According to Homendy, there were 23 crew members on board the freighter at the time of the accident. The ship's cargo included 56 containers with dangerous materials, such as corrosive or flammable substances - weighing a total of 764 tons. Some of the dangerous goods containers were damaged.

Transport authority: Bridge design outdated

Homendy emphasized that information would be collected first; conclusions and assessments about the cause of the accident would only be made later. The investigation is a “massive undertaking” that will likely take many months. A first preliminary report should be presented in two to four weeks.

The bridge, completed in 1977, was in "satisfactory condition" before the accident, Homendy said. The last basic inspection took place in May 2023. However, the bridge was constructed in such a way that the failure of a critical component could cause complete or partial collapse. Today, other methods of building bridges would be preferred.

As part of the national artery Interstate 695, the Francis Scott Key Bridge spanned the port of the east coast metropolis of Baltimore. Homendy said on average more than 30,000 vehicles crossed the bridge every day.

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