UPDATE: (WBAP/KLIF News ) – Rescuers are still searching for at least six people after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland just before 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the crew on the Singaporean cargo ship, the Dali, issued a mayday call moments before it collided with the bridge.
The bridge collapsed within seconds of the crash.
The six people who are still missing were a part of a construction crew filling potholes on the bridge.
One crew member who was rescued was taken to a hospital. A second person walked away from the incident unscathed.
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, President Joe Biden said the federal government will pay the entire cost to rebuild the bridge.
“We’re with you. We’re going to stay with you…as long as it takes,” he said. “I expect Congress to support my effort.”
The NTSB is investigating the disaster.
Baltimore, MD (WBAP/KLIF News ) -Rescuers are searching for at least six people after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland just before 2 a.m. Tuesday.
At least two people have been pulled from the water as of 6 a.m.
Authorities said the bridge collapsed after it was hit by a container ship from Singapore, causing the structure to collapse in several places and plunge into the Patapsco River.
“The way that this bridge was hit you could see that this cargo ship hit one of the structural beams of that bridge that caused that collapse,” said former Washington D.C. police officer Ted Williams.
After the collapse, the ship caught on fire and thick, black smoke could be seen billowing out of it, the Associated Press reports.
In an early morning press conference, authorities said the crew of the ship is still on board. Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said two people had been saved from the water so far as of 5:30 a.m.
He also answered questions about any fuel spillage connected to the crash.
“We’ve not been able to confirm that we actually have an active fuel spill from the vessel. We’ve had odors of diesel fuel. The Maryland Department of the Environment is here as well as the Coast Guard,” said Wallace. “We hope as the sun comes up a little bit with the air assets that are up to get a much better picture if we do have a fuel spill what the impact is so far.”
In the aftermath of the search and rescue effort, an investigation into what caused the Dali cargo ship, owned by Synergy Marine Group, to crash into the bridge will begin.
The Dali was leaving the harbor on its way to Sri Lanka.
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, President Joe Biden said the federal government will pay the entire cost to rebuild the bridge.
“We’re with you. We’re going to stay with you…as long as it takes,” he said. “I expect Congress to support my effort.”
Copyright 2023. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this article.