Large barges carrying cranes swarmed toward Baltimore on Thursday to begin the challenging job of clearing away twisted metal and concrete in an attempt to open a vital shipping lane blocked by the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
U.S. Coast Guard officials said late Wednesday that the barges were en route to the site of the bridge over the Patapsco River, but it was unclear when they would arrive.
A crippled cargo ship hit the collapse site early Tuesday, causing severe damage. Divers found the bodies of two men in a pickup truck near the bridge’s midspan on Wednesday, but officials said they needed to start clearing the twisted wreckage before finding the bodies of the other four missing workers. Once the wreckage is cleared, divers will resume their search.
“We are now moving from recovery mode to salvage operations. Due to what we believe is the superstructure and the large amount of concrete and debris surrounding the vehicle, divers are no longer able to safely navigate or operate around it,” the colonel said. Maryland State Police Superintendent Roland L. Butler Jr. said at a news conference Wednesday.
“We have exhausted all search efforts in the area surrounding this wreckage and based on sonar scans we strongly believe these vehicles were encased in the superstructure and concrete that we tragically saw collapsed,” Butler said.
Butler said his agency would support unified command during the salvage assessment phase, but he asked for patience and warned there was “no clear timeline.”
National Transportation Safety Board officials boarded the Dali to recover information from its electronic equipment and documents and interviewed the captain and other crew members. Investigators shared a preliminary timeline leading up to the crash, which federal and state officials said appeared to be an accident.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Thursday that 20 of the 21 crew members on board were from India. One of them suffered minor injuries that required stitches, but “all are doing well and in good health,” Jaiswal said.
Butler said the victims were construction workers repairing potholes on the bridge and came from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. At least eight people initially fell into the water when the boat hit a bridge pillar, and two of them were rescued Tuesday, officials said.
The accident caused the bridge to break apart and fall into the water within seconds. Authorities had enough time to block traffic but no chance to alert construction crews.
The Dali, managed by Synergy Marine Group, sailed from Baltimore to Sri Lanka. The vessel is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and Danish shipping giant Maersk said it has chartered the vessel.
Synergy expressed regret in a statement earlier Thursday and offered its condolences to the families of the victims.
“We deeply regret this incident and the problems it has caused for the people of Baltimore and the regional economy that relies on this vital port,” Synergy said, noting they will continue to cooperate with investigators.
The sudden disruption to a highway that carries 30,000 vehicles a day and port disruptions would not only affect thousands of longshoremen and commuters, but also American consumers, who could feel the impact of shipping delays.
The governors of New York and New Jersey have expressed willingness to accept disrupted freight shipments. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement Thursday that their states’ ports can handle additional cargo to minimize supply chain disruptions.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Biden administration is focused on reopening ports and rebuilding bridges, but he gave no timeline for those efforts. Buttigieg plans to meet with supply chain officials on Thursday.
According to the World Water Transport Infrastructure Association, from 1960 to 2015, 35 major bridge collapses occurred globally due to ship or barge collisions.
Follow us on Google news ,Twitter , and Join Whatsapp Group of thelocalreport.in
