Bridge collapse in the USA: police suspend searches and say that 6 missing people are probably dead | World

Bridge collapses after being hit by ship in the USA

Six people who went missing after a bridge collapse in Baltimore, United States, are believed to be dead, according to Maryland State Police. The searches were suspended on Tuesday night (26) and are expected to resume on Wednesday morning (27).

The bridge collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship. The vessel has a Singapore flag and was destined for Sri Lanka. Investigations indicate that the crew lost control of the ship before the crash.

According to authorities, the missing are six workers who worked in maintenance in the middle of the bridge.

The company responsible for the workers had already stated that the workers had probably died, due to the time that had passed since the accident and the temperature of the water.

Earlier, firefighters managed to rescue two people alive, one of whom was rescued in serious condition.

In addition to divers, drones with infrared cameras and sonars assist in searches.

The ship involved in the accident is a Singapore-flagged container ship and was destined for Sri Lanka.

The cargo ship, named Dali, is 300 meters long and 48 meters wide, according to the MarineTraffic website.

The ship was operated by the company Synergy and was in service with the Danish company Maersk, according to CNN. According to the operator, no crew member was injured in the collision.

To facilitate the work of firefighters, the Maryland Transportation Authority blocked all roads in the region of the Francis Scott Key Bridge — an important link between two points in the city, crossing the Patapsco River.

Naval traffic in the port of Baltimore was also suspended and was not expected to resume this Tuesday. The agency that controls aviation in the US also restricted airspace and asked that private drones not fly over the region.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he is in contact with the governor and Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott.

According to the FBI and the national secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, there is no indication of a terrorist act in the incident, nor that it was intentional. According to the ABC News TV network, the ship lost propulsion while maneuvering to leave the port.

Opened in 1977, the bridge was almost 3 kilometers long and had four lanes, which were approximately 55 meters above the water. The structure also had a drawbridge that provided access to the port of Baltimore.

The bridge was named after the author of the poem that gave rise to the United States anthem. According to scholars, Francis Scott Key wrote the verses after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry, in 1814, in the Baltimore region.