Debris removal efforts begin on Key Bridge collapse; moment of silence held for victims
BALTIMORE -- The difficult job of removing debris from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge is underway following the recovery of two bodies 25 feet below the Patapsco River in a pickup truck.
The other four construction workers are believed to be encased in concrete and steel debris.
"We are going to have another reopening day and that will be the reopening of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and you can bet on that," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
Chilling traffic camera video shows the final vehicles entering the bridge before the collapse as the emergency signs flash in the distance for the construction crew filling potholes. Only two survived.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators boarded the ship Wednesday and remained there Thursday conducting interviews.
The chair says they have obtained six hours of recordings from the Dali, the ship that struck the main support pier.
"Our hearts are with the families, and to all the families, we are so sorry for this tragedy," Moore said.
The NTSB says 56 containers on the Dali have toxic chemicals. Some have breached the ship and likely into the water.
"We don't want this sort of thing ever happening again, and with a ship that's the length of three football fields with 4,000 containers and weighing 95,000 pounds, that was an accident waiting to happen," said U.S. Rep/ Kweisi Mfume.
The 47-year-old Key Bridge was considered fracture critical, meaning if one major part fails, it will fall, just like the Minneapolis Bridge that collapsed in 2007. It's one of roughly 17,000 such bridges in use across the United States.
As the monumental task of removal gets underway, leaking containers, some with hazardous chemicals, and parts of the steel structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain precariously perched on the bow of the Dali, the massive cargo ship stranded in the Patapsco River since it lost power and slammed into the bridge two days ago.
"The operation switched to trying to get that channel clear as quickly and as safely as possible," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said.
At the Orioles home opener, a pause of silence took place to remember the lives of six construction workers—fathers, husbands, sons — lost in the tragedy.
The state has been approved for an initial $60 million to pay for the first steps of debris removal—the down payment for a disaster that could ultimately cost billions.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board remain on scene—interviewing the pilots—and continuing to collect crucial evidence.
"It's just utter devastation, and when and I look at something like that, I am thinking not about the container ships that are coming through and not about traffic getting back up and running on the bridge," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said. "I'm thinking about the families who've lost loved ones."
