The world's largest crane is being moved from the US East Coast to Baltimore to begin today the removal of a bridge that collapsed when a ship crashed into it and blocked the city's vital port.
A section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after a container ship hit it early Tuesday morning, sending multiple vehicles into the water. The bodies of two workers were pulled from the icy water, and the search for four more missing in the accident has been suspended.
DON'T MISS IT
The governor of the American federal state of Maryland, where Baltimore is located, Wes Moore, said that the arriving crane can lift up to 1.000 tons and that at least one more crane will be used to remove the collapsed bridge.
Plans to remove the bridge are being developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Navy, which are mobilizing resources from across the country to clear the waterway in record time.
Moore said that this is not just about the state of Maryland, but the country's economy, since more cars and agricultural equipment pass through the port of Baltimore than any other port in America.
The governor warned that the job could take a long time and thanked the administration of US President Joe Biden for approving $60 million in emergency aid. Biden said the federal government would pay the full cost of rebuilding the bridge.
The damage caused when a container ship lost power and hit a bridge support pillar on Tuesday night is extensive. Divers recovered the bodies of two men from a vehicle in the Patapsco River near the middle of the bridge on Wednesday, but officials said they must begin clearing the bridge's debris before anyone can reach the bodies of four more missing workers.
Police said that based on sonar scans, their vehicles appeared to be buried by a huge amount of concrete and metal.
Federal and state officials say the ship's collision with the bridge that caused it to collapse appeared to be an accident.
The dead, who were part of a group of workers repairing holes in the bridge at the time of the accident, were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, officials said. At least eight people fell into the water when the ship hit a bridge pillar, and two were rescued the same day.
In the impact, the bridge broke and fell into the water within a few seconds. The authorities barely had time to stop the traffic over the bridge, but they did not have time to warn the workers on the bridge, it was a matter of seconds when they reported from the ship that their electricity had failed.
The huge ship, almost as long as the Eiffel Tower, carried almost 4.700 containers, 56 of which contained dangerous substances.
About 80 liters of oil from the ship are believed to have caused a slick on the surface of the river, where fences have been installed to prevent it from spreading. Environmental experts take water and air samples to check the level of pollution.
The sudden loss of a bridge over which 30.000 vehicles a day crossed and the disruption of the port will affect thousands of port workers and people who use the bridge as well as American consumers who will experience delays in deliveries.
Bonus video:
