The remains of two of the six missing road workers were recovered from the river after a container ship collapsed a major bridge in Baltimore. Four more workers are still missing.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, named after the poet who penned the lyrics to the US national anthem, was used by some 34,000 vehicles daily.
It was a key route in Baltimore, a port city on the US east coast.
The collapse of the bridge has led to a suspension of ship traffic entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore.
It is also expected to have long term effects both on shipping and commuter traffic.
The tangled steel barrier that once made up Key Bridge now lies half-submerged across the harbor entrance, blocking almost all maritime traffic.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said it was too soon to give a time frame for clearing the channel, which is about 50 feet (15 meters) deep.
Transportation Secretary Buttigieg said the closure of the port, which handles more automobile freight than any other US port, would have a “major and protracted impact to supply chains.”
Economists and logistics experts, however, have expressed doubt as to whether the port closure would lead to a major US supply chain crisis or spike the price of goods.
The loss of the bridge is also expected to congest roadways across Baltimore.
The bridge, operational since 1977, spans the Patapsco River and is part of the interstate connection for drivers between New York and Washington seeking to bypass downtown Baltimore.
US President Joe Biden called the collapse a “terrible accident,” and said he wanted the federal government to rebuild the bridge.
The timeline for reopening the Port of Baltimore and restoring the bridge is still unclear.
Source: Dw
