All 6 Workers Missing After Baltimore Bridge Collapse Presumed Dead, Search Suspended Until Wednesday

Search For Life In Key Bridge Collapse Suspended Until Wednesday, The 6 Workers Have Been Presumed Dead

As we previously reported, a cargo ship lost power and crashed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months.

In an update on the situation, all six workers missing after the crash have been presumed dead, and the search for them was suspended until the next day.

According to Maryland’s Governor Wes Moore, the ship’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span.

 

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Moore said authorities had just enough time to stop cars from coming over the bridge with the ship barreling toward the bridge at “a very, very rapid speed. “These people are heroes. They saved lives last night,” the Governor added.

In the evening, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police, announced that the search and rescue mission was transitioning to one of search and recovery. He also said the search was being put on pause and divers would return to the site at 6 a.m. Wednesday, when challenging overnight conditions are expected to improve.

The incident happened in the middle of the night, long before the busy morning commute on the bridge that stretches 1.6 miles (2.6 km) and was used by 12 million vehicles last year.

The 6 people still unaccounted for were part of a construction crew filling potholes on the bridge, said Paul Wiedefeld, the state’s transportation secretary.