Authorities stated that early on Tuesday, a big container ship that had lost power struck a support column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing cars and people to fall into the Patapsco River.
Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath of the U.S. Coast Guard stated at a press conference on Tuesday night that six persons are still unaccounted for and are thought to be dead. From the water, two more persons were saved.
According to Wiedefeld, all eight individuals were a member of a construction team that was patching potholes on the bridge at the time. The National Transportation Security Board chair, Jennifer Homendy, revealed on Tuesday afternoon that the laborers were engaged by the nearby business Brawner Builders.
Unharmed was one of the rescued workers. According to CBS Baltimore station WJZ, the other received care at the University of Maryland Medical Center and has since been released.
Search and rescue activities were put on hold about 7:30 p.m. ET while authorities focused on recovery work.
“Based on the length of time that we’ve gone in this search, the extensive search efforts that we’ve put into it, the water temperature — that at this point we do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive,” Gilreath stated.
Divers and first responders were put in danger by the water’s shifting currents, low visibility, and sharp metal debris, according to Maryland State Police Col. Roland Butler Jr.
Butler Jr. stated that recovery efforts will start at six a.m. ET on Wednesday and that authorities are presently unsure of the victims’ whereabouts.
Two of the missing workers were from Guatemala, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Guatemala. The ministry stated that one of the employees was 26 years old and the other was 35. The general consul of the state was helping the impacted families on the spot.
Miguel Luna, an El Salvadorian worker, was recognized as one of the other missing employees by the humanitarian group CASA. “He has lived in Maryland for more than 19 years as a husband and father of three,” CASA executive director Gustavo Torres said in a statement on Tuesday night.
“There is not a single resource we will hold off on deploying… to make sure that this search and rescue operation is carried out to its fullest intent,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore stated at a previous press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Following the cancellation of the rescue operations on Tuesday night, Moore released a statement saying, “Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of the victims. We will continue to work in partnership with leaders at the local, state, and federal levels to ensure that we can provide all those affected with the closure they deserve.”
Soon after the fall, Moore issued a statement announcing the state of emergency, saying, “We are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration.” We pray for everyone’s safety and are grateful to the courageous men and women who are making the effort to rescue those in need.”
The ship, the Singapore-flagged Dali, was chartered by Maersk and was run by the charter vessel operator Synergy Marine Group, according to the companies. The ship carried goods for Maersk customers.
22 crew members, including two pilots, were on board the ship, according to a Synergy statement. There are 22 Indian nationalities in the crew.
Synergy said that it is assisting local, state, and federal authorities and has mobilized its emergency response team. Homendy stated that as part of their inquiry, the NTSB is in contact with Singaporean authorities.
