Maryland’s governor said Sunday that the damaged Baltimore Bridge was being cut up in preparation for demolition, promising “progress” was being made after it was destroyed by an out-of-control vessel.
Demolition crews used blowtorches to cut away the top of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed during demolition. Dali Six people were killed on Tuesday when the cargo ship lost power and crashed.
“Despite the extremely complex situation, work has begun to make progress,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said, adding that weather conditions and debris in the water meant divers were unable to assist with rescue efforts.
“We do have a Chesapeake 1,000 crane now, which has a 1,000-pound lifting capacity,” Moore told CNN on Sunday.
“[Workers have] Start cutting the remnants of the bridge and then we can prepare it for demolition. “
Video footage shared Saturday by the Unified Command, an integrated response team that includes the U.S. Coast Guard, showed sparks flying as crews hanging inside the cage cut into the upper portion of the steel structure.
The wreckage will be removed and processed at a transport site in Baltimore before being transported to a disposal site, the joint command said.
Moore said recovery would be a “long road”, adding: “This is a very complex operation but it is happening.”
Poor conditions have hampered efforts to recover the bodies of six road workers, all Latino immigrants, who died when the bridge collapsed, with only two bodies recovered so far.
Shipping in and out of Baltimore, one of the busiest ports in the United States, has been halted and the waterway is impassable as debris spreads.
Moore told MSNBC on Sunday that his first priority was to find the victims’ bodies before reopening the channel.
“It’s affecting the national economy. It’s the largest port for new cars, heavy trucks, agricultural equipment. It’s affecting people all over the country,” he said.
Due to a power failure, the ship diverted towards the bridge and the pilot issued a distress signal, allowing some road traffic to stop before the collision at 1.30am, seconds before the bridge structure collapsed.
“It takes a lot of effort to make sure it can be removed safely, that the boat stays where it’s supposed to and doesn’t fall in,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an interview on “Face the Nation.” Channel.” CBS.
