Authorities have announced that the six workers who went missing after the collapse of a major bridge in Baltimore are now presumed to be dead.
These workers were part of a repair crew consisting of eight individuals who were carrying out maintenance work on the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Unfortunately, a cargo ship collided with one of the bridge’s main support columns, causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River. Out of the eight workers, two were fortunate enough to be rescued.
One of them was transported to a trauma center in serious condition, while the other remained unharmed. Despite the efforts of divers who braved bone-chilling water temperatures of approximately 9 degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit), the search for the remaining six workers was called off before nightfall.
Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath of the U.S. Coast Guard expressed doubts about the survival of the missing workers due to the length of time that had passed since the accident and the frigid temperatures of the river.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore described the decision to end the rescue operation as a heartbreaking conclusion to a challenging day.
However, he assured the public that authorities at the federal, state, and local levels would utilize all available resources to locate the missing workers and bring closure to their families.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Guatemala released a statement on Tuesday night confirming that two of the workers involved in the incident were Guatemalan citizens – a 26-year-old from the Petén region and a 35-year-old from the Chiquimula area.
Earlier on Tuesday, Governor Moore informed the press that the container ship Dali, flying the flag of Singapore, experienced a power loss shortly after departing from the Port of Baltimore, one of the largest commercial ports in the United States.
Moore mentioned that the crew sent out a distress call, prompting transportation authorities to swiftly stop traffic on the interstate highway that passes over the bridge.
“These people are heroes. They saved lives last night,” the governor said. The ship’s crew also dropped its anchors in a futile attempt to avert the disaster.
The footage depicted a significant portion of the bridge collapsing rapidly into the river following the collision of the Dali with the support column.
The Dali, measuring 48 meters in width and 300 meters in length, was carrying cargo containers destined for Sri Lanka. Synergy Marine Corp, the company responsible for managing the Dali, released a statement confirming the safety of all 20 crew members and two pilots aboard the vessel, with no reported injuries.
The New York Times is reporting an inspection of the Dali last year at a port in Chile found that the vessel had a deficiency related to “propulsion and auxiliary machinery.”
The inspection, conducted on June 27 at the port of San Antonio, specified that the problem concerned gauges and thermometers. However, a later inspection found no defects.
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