A month after the equipment arrives, workers can clear enough debris to get to the ships, experts say.
By Elizabeth Wolfe, Alice Hammond, Aditi Sangal
Maryland’s governor said a massive cleanup effort is underway after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, and crews working to clear the bridge’s steel structure and 984-foot freighter have “an incredibly complex job.” Wes Moore, Thursday.
Cleanup efforts are essential to reopen the Port of Baltimore and recover any remains that may have fallen under the debris, Moore said, adding that “we have a long way to go.”
How long will it take? Demolition workers could clear a channel large enough for ships to pass a month after the necessary equipment is on site, according to an industry expert familiar with the ongoing discussions.
The expert, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, said it will take more time to remove all the debris, but the 360-meter area between the two piers that support the main span of the bridge will be cleared. Enough to reopen the port to traffic.
Four bodies are yet to be recovered
The bodies of two of the six construction workers who died were recovered Wednesday, and Baltimore’s mayor said Thursday he was hopeful the bodies of the other four men would eventually be recovered from the debris-filled waters.
Maryland’s governor says a 730-meter barrier was used to contain potentially toxic material
By Aditi Sangal
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Thursday that more than 2,300 feet of containment has been deployed to prevent any pollution leakage following the Key Bridge collapse.
He said he personally did not see any sheen in the water when he went to the scene to assess the situation.
56 containers containing hazardous materials were found on the ship.
The ship had 14 containers that were struck and contained items such as soap and perfume, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath told the briefing that he had no information on whether any of the material had fallen overboard.
Air monitors are installed to track any potential threats and so far they have not detected any threats, Gilreath added.
The governor outlined key directions in recovery after the bridge collapse in the coming months
By Alice Hammond
Maryland officials are moving “full speed ahead” to complete four top priorities in the days since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, Gov. Wes Moore said Thursday.
Here are the directions ordered by Moore:
- Continue to focus on recovery efforts. “It’s our responsibility to provide these families with a sense of closure,” Moore said. Authorities said they recovered the bodies of two people on Wednesday, but recovery efforts for four other workers were suspended due to unsafe diving conditions.
- Open the channel and resume traffic on the port. The governor emphasized minimizing economic impacts whenever possible, saying “the health of Maryland’s economy and the national economy depends on it.”
- Take care of all people affected by the crisis. This means families of the deceased, workers, first responders… “That means everyone,” Moore said.
- Reconstruction of Key Bridge.
The governor promised to provide regular updates on all these directives, but said it would take a long time to comply.
“This won’t take hours. This won’t take days. This won’t just take weeks. We have a long way to go,” Moore said.
The largest crane on the East Coast has arrived to help remove debris from the collapsed bridge
The largest crane on the East Coast has arrived in Baltimore to help clear debris from the canal following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Maryland officials are working “at full speed” to reopen the vital shipping channel and revive traffic through the port, which is the largest in the United States for cars and trucks, with a record 850,000 vehicles last year, the government said. Maryland Governor Wes Moore on Thursday. However, he said: “We have a long way to go.”
“An incredibly complicated job”: This is how they will clean up the area of the collapsed Baltimore Bridge
Crews working to clear the steel structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the freighter that brought it down face an “incredibly complex job” needed to reopen the Port of Baltimore and recover any remains that lie beneath the wreckage, he said. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday.
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Paying for the collapse of the Baltimore Bridge will be a complicated mess that will drag on for years
A major cargo ship crash into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is likely to result in billions of dollars in liability claims. Marine insurance companies will bear the bulk of the cost.
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“A Wake-Up Call”
When a container ship collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, it caused a catastrophic collapse that apparently killed six people and destroyed one of the region’s key structural links.
But this isn’t the first time such an impact has occurred: four decades earlier, another container ship that lost power hit the same bridge… but this time the bridge remained standing.
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Analysis | The collapse of the Baltimore Bridge shows the true face of immigration in the US.
Baltimore was sleeping when the fully loaded ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge, bringing it down in seconds.
If the disaster had struck during the day, hundreds of cars and trucks could have been on the bridge over the canal leading to one of the busiest ports on the East Coast. So it was lucky that it happened in the early hours and the police got enough warning to prevent vehicles from entering the bridge.
But the six people who were killed in the accident could not escape. They were the maintenance workers, people who pay little attention but who work hard through the night to run the country.
All of the missing were immigrants, foreigners who came to the United States from Mexico and Central America in search of a better life.
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The simulator recreates what happened on the ship that collapsed the bridge in Baltimore
With the help of Captain Morgan McManus, we recreated the moments experienced in a navigation simulator and the conditions that could have caused a cargo ship to collide against the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Maryland’s governor says recovery work will continue after the Key Bridge collapse
The governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, confirmed that the search for missing people after the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore will not stop and announced that the federal budget for debris removal has already been approved.
