6 workers presumed dead following Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapse, rescue mission suspended

6 workers presumed dead after Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore

Six workers are believed to have died following the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland on Tuesday (26 March).

The United States (US) Coast Guard has since suspended search-and-rescue operations and is now transitioning to a recovery operation.

During the search, rescuers pulled two workers from the waters of the Patapsco River.

The company that owned the Singapore-flagged ship that collided with the bridge said there were no injuries onboard.

Rescue operations end after 6 workers presumed dead in Key Bridge collapse

According to CNN, the US Coast Guard ended its search-and-rescue operations about 18 hours after the bridge collapsed.

Six missing employees are now presumed dead as a result of the incident.

This is due to the water’s low temperatures and the amount of time that has passed since the incident, The New York Times reported.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore called it a “really heartbreaking conclusion to a challenging day”.

He noted that they had put every asset possible across land, air, and sea to find the missing people.

“Even though we’re moving on now to a recovery mission, we’re still fully committed to making sure that we’re going to use every single asset to now bring a sense of closure to the families.”

2 people rescued from waters, 1 in critical condition

Before this, rescuers managed to pull two people from the waters.

One of them was not injured, while the other was conveyed to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

The medical team then proceeded to evaluate the patient’s condition, although their current status is unclear.

Crew members onboard Singapore-flagged ship at the time of impact are safe

Singapore-based company Grace Ocean Pte Ltd has since confirmed that the crew members on board at the time of the condition are fine.

Grace Ocean Pte Ltd owns Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship.

Citing Synergy Marine Group, NBC10 Philadelphia reported that all crew members, including two pilots, were accounted for.

There were no reports of injuries involving anyone on board.

A statement by Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) also confirmed that all 22 crew members were safe.

It added that its investigators, as well as those from the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau, are en route to Baltimore.

Vessel suffered ‘momentary loss of propulsion’ prior to collision

According to MPA, Synergy Marine Group reported that the vessel suffered a “momentary loss of propulsion” prior to the incident.

“As a result, it was unable to maintain the desired heading and collided with the Francis Scott Key bridge.”

The vessel, which was under pilotage, had purportedly dropped its anchors before impact as part of its emergency protocol.

MPA added that the ship is currently holding onto its position at the site of the collision and is in a stable condition.

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Featured image adapted from Reuters.