Crews in Baltimore were working Saturday to pull the first pieces of debris out of the water after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, a daunting effort to reopen the busy waterway. It was a visible sign that progress had been made.
U.S. Coast Guard Maj. Gen. Shannon Gilreath said in a news conference that crews were aiming to lift the first section of the bridge “just north of the deep-draft channel.” He added, “Just like when you run a marathon, you have to take the first few steps.”
The bridge was a critical link to one of the nation's largest ports, and the longer it is out of service, the more likely it will collapse, costing the region and the country millions of dollars. Maryland Governor Wes Moore said more than 8,000 workers at the pier were directly affected.
Moore said cutting and removing the northern portion of the bridge would “ultimately open up a temporarily restricted waterway, allowing more vessels to enter the waters around the collapse site.” It will be possible,” he said.
Officials overseeing the cleanup added on Saturday that salvage teams will use gas-powered cutters to systematically separate sections of the steel bridge before taking them to a disposal site.
The work comes less than a week after a giant container ship known as the Dali crashed into the bridge during a total power outage, killing six construction workers and causing the bridge to fall into the Patapsco River. was.
Two of the bodies were recovered, but the search for the remaining bodies, which were presumed dead, was ended after authorities concluded that conditions were too dangerous for divers to find them.
Moore said Saturday that authorities are not forgetting to search for all the missing victims, migrants from Mexico and Central America. “As soon as the situation changes, rescue divers will return to the sea soon,” officials assured him.
The disaster casts a particularly dark cloud over the growing Hispanic community in and around Baltimore, where communities such as Highlandtown, Dundalk and Glen Burnie have been transformed by waves of Latin American immigration. The victims all worked dangerous jobs repairing potholes and maintaining bridges.
At least five of the victims have been identified by authorities, relatives and aid groups supporting the Latino community. Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore. Dorrian Lonial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk, Maryland. Miguel Luna is in his 40s from El Salvador. and Mayor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, a 30-year-old from Honduras.
Fuentes and Cabrera's bodies were recovered Wednesday, authorities said.
Moore took time Saturday to address the families of the victims in Spanish. “They are in our hearts. They are in our hearts today and forever,” he said.
Moore, standing near the wreckage, reiterated Saturday that state and federal officials face a long road to recovery. But he said at least 377 people were working as part of the recovery effort and the pace of the round-the-clock project would pick up in the coming days.
“We intend to act as soon as possible,” he said.
Anna Betts Contributed to the report.
