In Baltimore, the bodies of two workers were found in the Patapsco River after a bridge collapsed.
“Divers found a red pickup at a depth of approximately 7.6 meters”During a press briefing on Wednesday March 27, police in Maryland, the state where the Port of Baltimore is located, announced. “The two victims of the accident were occupants of the vehicle. » A day after a highway bridge collapsed after being hit by a container ship on the East Coast, authorities said the bodies of two workers had been recovered.
They were identified as two men, ages 35 and 26, from Mexico and Guatemala, who were part of a crew of workers on the Francis Scott Key Bridge roadway at the time of the accident. Officials added that the bodies of four of his colleagues, all presumed dead, are yet to be found.
Especially due to the amount of concrete and rubble, “Divers are no longer able to navigate their way safely” Towards “What we think is a vehicle bomb”Roland Butler of the Maryland Police Department said. So rescuers will try to remove the structure from the water to facilitate access for divers, he said.
Officials warned Tuesday evening that they don’t think they can “Find these guys still alive”, when two members of his team were rescued immediately after the crash. According to the American press, the victims, from Latin America, were repairing holes in the bridge when it collapsed into the Patapsco River.
“Not designed to resist”
A preliminary investigation suggests it was an accident, according to officials. For the US Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, “This kind of bridge (…) was simply not designed to withstand a direct impact against a critical pillar of support”.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has made that promise “Federal State Pays Full Cost of Reconstruction” Off the Bridge, which bears the name of the writer of the words to the American national anthem, admits it will take time. “We will stand with the people of Baltimore as long as it takes”He reconfirmed on social network on Wednesday evening
The challenge of rebuilding the bridge is also economic: the four-lane bridge, 2.6 kilometers long, is located on a critical north-south axis for the economy of the East Coast of the United States. For the moment, there is sea transport “Suspended till further notice”According to authorities. The Port of Baltimore is the ninth busiest port in the country and generates more than 15,000 jobs.
