BALTIMORE (NewsNation) — All six workers missing after the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed Tuesday are presumed dead, and the search for them has been suspended until Wednesday morning.
In the evening, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police, announced that the search and rescue mission was transitioning to one of search and recovery. He also said the search was being put on pause and divers would return to the site at 6 a.m. Wednesday, when challenging overnight conditions are expected to improve.
A cargo ship lost power and rammed into the bridge early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse.
The six people still unaccounted for were part of a construction crew filling potholes on the bridge, said Paul Wiedefeld, the state’s transportation secretary.
Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld said eight people were on the bridge when it collapsed. Rescuers pulled two people out of the water but six others were still missing as of early Tuesday evening.
Those six were part of a construction crew that had been filling potholes on the bridge.
Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders who employed the workers, told the Associated Press the crew was working in the middle of the bridge’s span when the crash happened. Although no bodies have been recovered, Pritzker said the men are presumed dead given the time that has passed and the depth of the water.
One person involved in the collapse has been discharged from a nearby hospital, AP reported. The hospital did not release the name or condition of the patient.
The 985-foot-long Singapore-registered ship called “Dali” crashed into one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to break apart. It tumbled into the water in a matter of seconds. The vessel caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out.
“Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of an action movie,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy.”
It’s not clear what caused the ship to crash, but Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the ship’s crew was notified of a power loss on the vessel before the crash. The ship’s crew also issued a mayday that allowed officials to clear the bridge of cars, Moore said.
“These people are heroes. They saved lives,” the governor said of people on the bridge who stopped traffic from crossing it.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating what happened. NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday that the investigation will examine the vessel’s safety and maintenance history and how the bridge was constructed. At this point, there’s no definitive information to release.
Homendy said the NTSB has to verify whether a reported power outage contributed to the crash. “Too early to tell,” she said.
Authorities said sonar had detected cars in the water, which is about 50 feet deep.
Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace told CNN that authorities marked three passenger vehicles, a cement truck, and a fifth vehicle submerged in the water via infrared and side-scan sonar technology. He added that eight dive teams are performing search and rescue operations; however, he’s unsure if the fifth car is a passenger or work vehicle.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said there’s “absolutely no indication” the ship struck the bridge on purpose.
Speaking from the White House Tuesday morning, President Joe Biden echoed those sentiments stating there’s no indication the collision was an intentional act.
He pledged that the federal government would pay the full cost to rebuild the bridge.
“It’s my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge and I expect the congress to support my effort,” Biden said.
Biden plans to visit Baltimore “as quickly as I can.” He didn’t provide specifics on when he plans to visit. Biden also promised a large response from the federal government, adding that he has spoken with Moore.
Moore said the preliminary investigation indicates it was an accident, saying “We haven’t seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack.”He added that the bridge was “fully up to code” and had no structural issues.
Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore City Fire Department, told The Associated Press early Tuesday that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck. The collapse happened in the middle of the night when traffic would be lighter than during the day.
Wiedefeld said about 35,000 people use the bridge daily, and authorities are working to find alternative route options.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday afternoon that the federal government will provide local authorities with all the support they need for “as long as it takes.” He also warned of looming supply chain impacts from the incident.
“There is no question that this will be a major and protracted impact to supply chains,” Buttigieg said at a press conference. “It’s too soon to offer estimates on what it will take to clear the channel and reopen the port.”
Ship traffic entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore has been suspended indefinitely. As for the collapsed bridge, roughly 1.3 million trucks crossed it each year, 3,600 a day, American Trucking Associations spokesperson Jessica Gail told AP.
Synergy Marine Group — which owns and manages Dali — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while in control of one or more pilots, who are local specialists who help navigate vessels safely into ports.
It said all 22 crew members, including the two pilots on board, were accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries. The company told NewsNation an “experienced captain” was on board, and the crew members are Indian.
NewsNation confirmed Synergy Marine Group will fly two people to meet with the U.S. Coast Guard at the site around 2:30 p.m. One of them is an ex-Coast Guard member who will be there on behalf of the company, Maersk, who charters the ship, as well as Grace Ocean Private Ltd., the ship’s owner, and insurers.
Additionally, Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority announced it was in contact with the U.S. Coast Guard and the ship’s management company, Reuters reports.
“As the flag state, MPA will provide full cooperation to the U.S. Coast Guard in its investigation. MPA will also be investigating the incident,” it said.
Biden was briefed on the incident and ongoing search efforts earlier Tuesday. The president will continue to receive updates throughout the day, The White House said.
Wiedefeld said all vessel traffic into and out of the port would be suspended until further notice, though the facility was still open to trucks.
The Federal Aviation Administration has restricted aircraft from flying over the wreckage site.
“Drone pilots: The FAA has flight restrictions in place around the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Do not interfere with rescue operations. If you fly, emergency response operations cannot,” the FAA wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s main mission is search and rescue, said Lt. Cmdr. Erin Palmer. She added they currently have three small boats, USCGC Mako, an 87-foot patrol boat, and a helicopter on scene.
Currently, the Navy isn’t assisting.
“At this time, the US Navy has not received any request to support but stands ready if any assistance is required,” a Department of Defense official told NewsNation.
Scott said there’s no timeline for repairing the bridge, which is a vital throughway for Baltimore commuters as well as people driving up and down the East Coast.
“We shouldn’t even be having that discussion right now,” Scott said, pleading for people to focus on the victims of the collapse. “There will be time to discuss a bridge and how to get a bridge back up.”
He added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge, which spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to a busy harbor. The river leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for shipping on the East Coast. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Moore declared a state of emergency and said he was working to get federal resources deployed.
Agencies received emergency calls around 1:30 a.m. reporting that a ship leaving Baltimore had struck a column on the bridge, according to Cartwright. Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time.
The temperature in the river was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
From a vantage point near the entrance to the bridge, jagged remnants of its steel frame were visible protruding from the water, with the on-ramp ending abruptly where the span once began.
Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, as its final destination, according to Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.