They were discovered in a vehicle: two more bodies recovered after a bridge crash

Two more bodies recovered from the water

According to local media reports, two more bodies have been recovered from the waters of the Patapsco River after the shipwreck in Baltimore. The two men were discovered in a vehicle and brought ashore Wednesday afternoon, two people familiar with the matter told the Baltimore Banner.

Coast Guard: 56 containers with dangerous goods on board the Dali

As the U.S. Coast Guard announced Wednesday, several containers of hazardous materials are on the ship that rammed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Vice Admiral Peter Gautier said at the White House press conference that of the 4,700 containers on board the Dali, 56 contained hazardous materials. Two containers fell from the cargo ship in the crash, but they did not contain any hazardous substances, Gautier explained.

A specialized dangerous goods team boarded the ship to inspect the cargo. “Most of these containers are closer to the wheelhouse and have been completely spared from damage to the bow of the ship,” Gautier said. “The really crucial point here is that, as you know, part of the bridge remains on the bow of this ship.”

The Coast Guard will work with the military to lead the cleanup of the Patapsco River so the Port of Baltimore can return to full operations, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 42, told reporters. Gautier said they would first work in consultation with the military to remove the debris before removing the cargo ship. “The bow of the ship is on the ground due to the weight of the bridge rubble.”

Before the disaster: Multiple power outages on board the Dali

When the freighter Dali docked at the Port of Baltimore a few days before the bridge crash, a “serious electronic problem” was reportedly discovered. Julie Mitchell, co-manager of Container Royalty, a cargo tracking company, told CNN that the ship had been anchored in port for at least 48 hours before the accident.

“And on these two days there were serious power outages. “They had a serious electrical problem,” Mitchell told the station. “It was a total power failure, loss of engine power, everything.” Mitchell explained that the freezers on board the ship caused problems several times and technicians attempted to resolve the problem.

Mitchell told CNN that major power problems aboard large ships like the Dali “don’t happen that often” and described the unusual incident as “very rare.” “They should not have let the ship sail before they had it under control,” the expert concluded.

Workers store trucks

Workers have recovered a truck from the scene of the Patapsco River bridge crash, the Associated Press reports. At least one vehicle is still believed to be trapped under the metal rubble of the collapsed bridge. AP quoted a police officer who was aware of a memo from the Department of Homeland Security detailing the recovery.

Meanwhile, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, 45, on Wednesday praised divers who had spent hours in icy water. “They’re sitting there in the dark where they can literally see about a foot,” he said. “You’re trying to navigate through broken metal and find yourself in a place where people have probably lost their lives by now. I cannot emphasize enough how remarkable these people are.”

Six construction workers are missing after the disaster. You can read more about the victims here.

The ship’s black box has been recovered

American divers have recovered the data recorder from the ship that collided with a bridge in Baltimore. “Investigators boarded the ship yesterday,” Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, an agency that investigates transportation accidents, confirmed to CNN. The ship’s black box was found. The goal is to find out why the ship had electrical problems.

Authorities believe six people are dead

After the collapse of the large car bridge in the US state of Maryland, authorities assume that six people are missing. The US Coast Guard announced on Tuesday evening that it was suspending the active search for survivors.

Given the water temperature, it is no longer expected that anyone will be found alive after so many hours. A Coast Guard representative said they did not want to endanger the health of rescuers due to the dangerous currents and debris in the water.

Police officers have saved many lives

If emergency services and police officers had not responded so quickly, there could have been many more victims in the Baltimore bridge collapse. Now American media have gained insight into radio traffic that took place shortly before the disaster. At 1:30 a.m., a dispatcher radioed to police: “Stop all traffic on the Key Bridge! A ship is approaching that can no longer steer.”

Two police officers happened to be nearby in their patrol cars, responded immediately and stood at either end of the bridge, preventing any more cars from falling into the flood. Just 90 seconds later, the freighter caused the bridge to collapse. A police officer radioed in horror: “The whole bridge just collapsed. Go go! Send away everyone, anyone, everyone!”

Maryland Governor Wes Moore praised police officers for their quick response at a news conference. “You undoubtedly saved many lives last night.”

Employer assumes missing persons are dead

A director of the company that employed the missing construction workers told the AP news agency that they are presumed dead.

Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said workers were working in the middle of the bridge when the crash occurred and the bridge collapsed. The workers’ bodies have not yet been recovered, but given the depth of the water and the time that has passed since the crash, they are believed to have died, Pritzker said.

“We attach great importance to safety and have traffic cones, signs, lights, barriers and flags,” he added. “But we could never have predicted that the bridge would collapse.”

A colleague of the missing says the victims were taking a break and were in their truck when the bridge collapsed.

The US faces supply chain problems after the crash

According to US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (42), the collapse of the car bridge in Baltimore also has economic consequences. Because of the importance of the port behind it, we are already preparing for supply chain problems, “which we know will come,” Buttigieg said at a press conference on site on Tuesday afternoon (local time). These would not only affect the region around Baltimore, “but the entire American economy.”

Following the incident, the responsible port authority suspended shipping traffic until further notice. According to Buttigieg, most of the port is behind the collapsed bridge. According to US President Joe Biden, it is one of the most important maritime contact points in the US – especially for the import and export of cars and small trucks. According to this study, approximately 850,000 vehicles are shipped through the Port of Baltimore each year. About 15,000 jobs depend on it. The bridge is also a major artery on the east coast of the US. According to Biden, they were crossing about 30,000 vehicles a day before the accident.

Reports: Lifeless body recovered from water

A lifeless body has reportedly been discovered during the search for at least six missing construction workers who fell into the river when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed.

“We’re hearing a body has been found,” Baltimore City Councilwoman Phylicia Porter said on CNN. The TV station showed rescue crews searching the Patapsco River after the bridge collapsed.