As of: March 27, 2024, 12:56 p.m
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There were eight construction workers on the bridge at the time of the accident.
© Steve Helber/AP/dpa
More than 24 hours after the accident in the USA, much remains unclear.
There is no trace of the missing people and the investigation into the cause of the accident is just beginning.
Baltimore - After the bridge collapsed in the US city of Baltimore, the search for the missing people was still ongoing.
From around 6 a.m. local time (11 a.m. CET), divers should continue their work at the scene of the accident, the police announced at a press conference on Tuesday evening (local time).
However, the authorities assumed that no missing people were still alive.
On Tuesday evening, the US Coast Guard announced that the search for survivors would be suspended due to the low water temperature and darkness.
The current and debris in the water are dangerous for the rescue workers.
They are only looking for the bodies of the six missing people.
Workers from Latin America among the victims
According to Maryland State Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld, eight construction workers were on the bridge repairing potholes at the time of the accident.
Two people were rescued on Tuesday, but there was still no trace of six others.
According to official information, among them are people of Latin American origin.
Two Guatemalans, aged 26 and 35, have been missing since the accident, the Central American country's foreign ministry said.
The immigrant organization Casa said one of its members was also missing.
It is a father of three from El Salvador who went to work on Monday evening and did not return home.
CNN reported, citing the Mexican consul in Washington, Rafael Laveaga, that Mexican citizens were also missing.
How many is not known.
“We know our people are affected,” Laveaga told reporters.
“They are also the ones who will rebuild the bridge - the Latinos.”
Meanwhile, investigations into the cause of the accident were underway.
On Wednesday, a team from the Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was expected to board the ship that rammed the bridge on Tuesday night for the first time, the agency's chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy, told CNN.
She had previously stated that electronics, particularly the so-called ship data recorder, were of particular interest.
Engineer and structural engineer Matthew Roblez told CNN that the collapse site and the remains of the bridge must now be treated as a crime scene.
Their individual pieces would be gradually removed from the water to investigate why and how the collapse occurred.
The container ship hit the bridge “in exactly the “right” place,” CNN quoted Roblez as saying.
If the ship had managed to avoid the support pillar, there probably would not have been a complete collapse.
The bridge was built in 1977, long before there were guidelines for collision cases.
“It makes me think about how many other bridges out there are vulnerable,” Roblez said.
According to CNN, many bridges have so-called fenders to protect the supports.
However, this did not exist at the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
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Recovering the parts alone will take months, said Roblez, and rebuilding it will take about two years.
The costs for this would be around 500 million dollars (a good 460 million euros).
US President Joe Biden had announced that reconstruction would be financed with federal money.
Hub for the automotive industry
The Port of Baltimore is one of the most important maritime ports of call in the USA - especially for the import and export of cars and small trucks, said Biden.
Around 850,000 vehicles are shipped via it every year.
Around 15,000 jobs depended on it.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said they are preparing for supply chain problems.
These not only affect the region around Baltimore, “but the entire US economy.”
The responsible authority suspended shipping traffic to the port until further notice, and larger freighters were diverted to a port in the neighboring state of Virginia.
On Tuesday night, a huge container ship rammed a support pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The ship's crew had made an emergency call before the collision, which may have saved lives - because officers on land stopped traffic and prevented more cars from getting onto the bridge.
Nevertheless, large parts of the bridge collapsed as steel girders weighing tons were bent like thin wire due to the enormous force.
Power supply problems?
According to the authorities, there was no evidence of an intentional act or even a terrorist attack.
President Biden spoke of a “terrible accident.”
According to initial findings, a problem with the power supply could have been the cause.
According to information from Singapore, there was probably a “temporary loss of propulsion,” which is why the ship was unable to maintain its course.
The city of Baltimore has around 570,000 residents and has been notorious for its high crime rate in recent years.
The well-known television series “The Wire” deals with crime in the city.
dpa