US Coast Guard declares missing people dead in BaltimoreMaryland, and will therefore suspend its search and rescue efforts.
“I would like to announce tonight that, based on the length of time we have been on this search, the extensive search efforts we have undertaken, the temperature of the water, at this time we do not believe that we will be able to find any of these individuals still alive.” ” said Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath.
The collapse occurred after a massive container ship lost power early Tuesday and crashed into the bridge, sending people and vehicles into the frigid Patapsco River.
A search and rescue effort for six people believed to have fallen from the collapsed bridge into the frigid waters of the Patapsco River has been suspended and will transition to a recovery mission, authorities insisted.
“Right now, we don’t know where they are,” said Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., secretary of the Maryland State Police. “But we intend to do our best to help these families find solace.”
He added that theConditions in the water have become dangerous for lifeguards and divers, although surface ships will remain there overnight.
Divers were due to return to the water at 6 a.m. Wednesday and “address the issues in a much safer manner,” Butler said.
Jeffrey Pritzker, the executive vice president of Brawner Builders, the construction company that employs workers on the Baltimore bridge, also presumed dead the six people missing after the structure collapsed following the impact of a container ship.
Pritzker’s announcement comes hours after Maryland Governor Wes Moore insisted at a press conference that there is still hope in finding the crew alive after the bridge collapsed on impact.
The tragic chain of events began early Tuesday morning when the freighter Dali notified authorities that it had lost power. and issued a distress call moments before the 984-foot vessel slammed into a bridge support at a speed of 8 knots, or about 9 mph.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency as rescue crews used sonar to detect at least five vehicles in the frigid, 50-foot-deep waters: three passenger cars, a cement truck and another truck. Some kind. Authorities do not believe anyone was inside the vehicles.
Investigators quickly concluded that it was an accident and not an act of terrorism.
Keep reading:
• A bridge falls in Baltimore after the impact of a ship while vehicles were crossing at that time
• Baltimore authorities search for 6 people after Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
• The impressive images left by the collapse of the bridge in Baltimore