‘We do not believe we are going to find these individuals alive’
The six men who are missing following the Baltimore Bridge collapse are presumed dead, authorities have confirmed.
On Tuesday, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a large cargo ship crashed into one of its pillars.
At the time, road workers who were filling pot holes were on the bridge and fell into the Patapsco River.
Initially, some 20 people were feared to have fallen into the water, but rescue teams later announced that two men had been recovered from the river, with six more unaccounted for.
Coast Guard rear admiral Shannon Gilreath announced overnight that there was no hope of finding these six men alive, and that they are presumed dead due to the freezing water and the amount of time since the accident happened.
The official said: “Based on the length of time that we’ve gone in this search the extensive search efforts that have gone into it, the water temperature, at this point we do not believe we are going to find these individuals alive.
“The coast guard’s not going away, none of our partners are going away, but we’re just going to transition into a different phase.”
Efforts will now be focused on recovering the workers’ bodie, with the search having been suspended overnight due to poor visibility and dangerous currents in the water, the BBC reports.
Local media has reported that the six workers were citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
The bridge was struck by a Singapore-flagged container ship called DALI which had suffered a sudden power outage and lost engine power.
Although an emergency generator kicked in, the ship never managed to regain the use of its engine.
After issuing a mayday call warning the Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA) that a collision was imminent, the DALI struck the bridge.
All of the ship’s crew were accounted for and none reported any serious injuries.
In the two minutes between receiving the mayday call and the ship hitting the bridge, the MTA was able to stop traffic from going onto the bridge.
The crew on the ship have been hailed as “heroes” by Maryland governor Wes Moore, who said their actions had “saved lives.”
Related links:
Here’s why the Baltimore Key Bridge collapsed so quickly
‘Scary’ Baltimore Bridge footage resurfaces after collapse
