Six people presumed dead in Baltimore bridge collapse

Six people, who went missing due to a bridge collapse in the US city of Baltimore, are presumed dead.

Addressing a press conference, Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said due to the cold water temperatures and harsh sea conditions, it was likely the missing individuals were dead, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US Coast Guard has suspended search and rescue efforts.

The 2.6-km-long Francis Scott Key Bridge, a major bridge that held Interstate 695, collapsed at about 1:30 a.m. local time early Tuesday morning after being hit by a Singapore-flagged large container ship, which experienced a power failure before the collision.

The six individuals who went missing, all road maintenance workers, were reportedly on the bridge repairing potholes when the collapse occurred.

Two other people were rescued from the Patapsco River earlier, with one in critical condition, according to local authorities.

In brief remarks from the White House Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said he wants the federal government to pay for the reconstruction of the bridge. The bridge opened to traffic in 1977 and saw approximately 11.5 million vehicles crossing it each year.

"We're gonna work with our partners in Congress to make sure the state gets the support it needs," President Biden said.

Indian crew safe

Meanwhile, all the 22 Indian crew members of a container ship that caused the collapse of a bridge in Baltimore, a port city in the state of Maryland on the east coast of the US, in the early hours of Tuesday are safe, according to a spokesperson for the company.

The spokesperson was not sure if they were all still on board. Two of eight members of a road construction crew working on the bridge were rescued from the river, one of them in a serious condition, but six were missing till hours later.

Andrew Middleton, director, The Apostleship of the Sea in Baltimore, a Catholic ministry that provides services for seafarers when they arrive at the ministry, told the Washington Post that he had texted the crew after he heard of the mishap.

Dali, as the Singapore flagged ship is called, was bound for Colombo in Sri Lanka. It was sailing at eight knots, which is said to be relatively, when it went out of control because of a power outage, according to Wes Moore, Maryland governor.

It hit a pillar of the Francis Scott Bridge over the Patapsco River, bringing down a portion of it. The Washington Post reported that the Francis Scott Bridge had the third-longest main span among all continuous truss bridges in the world.

It was over 1,200 feet between adjacent towers and supporting pillars. The 1.6-mile bridge was used by over 35,000 commuters daily, authorities have said.

"The words that the Key bridge is gone - it still shakes us," Governor Moore said at a news conference he addressed along with other state and federal officials.

He could not give a timeline on when shipping would remain normal in these waters, reiterating rescue and recovery remained the focus for now.

Officials said an early May Day call from the ship saved more lives as it allowed for traffic headed for the bridge to be stopped and diverted.

(With inputs from IANS)