We’ve paused today’s live coverage, but there’s still lots to catch up on. See what you missed below and follow the AP’s latest coverage on the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse.
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a container ship lost power and rammed into the bridge early Tuesday, sending vehicles plunging into the water. A recovery effort resumed Wednesday, with divers searching for six construction workers who are still unaccounted for.
The cargo ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse was carrying hazardous materials, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy says there are 56 containers aboard containing hazardous materials, including corrosives, flammables and lithium ion batteries. She said some containers were breached and a sheen there was a sheen in the water that will be dealt with by authorities. She said the voyage data recorder has been recovered.
Homendy said the investigation could take 12 to 24 months but that the NTSB will not hesitate to issue urgent safety recommendations during that time. She said a preliminary report should be released in two to four weeks.
“It’s a massive undertaking for an investigation,” Homendy said. “It’s a very tragic event.”
Authorities have released the identities of the two people recovered from the water Wednesday morning at the site of the Baltimore bridge collapse.
Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland L. Butler says 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes and 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera were recovered from a red pickup truck submerged in about 25 feet (7.62 meters) of water near the bridge’s middle span.
Jesus Campos, who has worked on the bridge for Brawner Builders and knows members of the construction crew who died, said he was told they were on a break and some were sitting in their trucks to warm up when the bridge collapsed.
Butler says it is no longer safe for divers to continue operations in the area.
“We have exhausted all search efforts in the areas around this wreckage, and based on sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are encased in the superstructure and concrete,” Butler said
