BALTIMORE — Recovery efforts continued in Baltimore early Wednesday morning for six construction workers who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it was crashed into by a cargo ship and collapsed early Tuesday morning.
All six are missing and presumed dead.
Dive crews were slated to go back into the Patapsco River on Wednesday morning to search for six bodies. The bridge spanned the river at the entrance to a busy harbor, which leads to Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in the Port of Baltimore.
The U.S. Coast Guard had to suspend the search Tuesday night due to dangerous water conditions and lack of daylight.
"The last thing we want to do is put divers in the water with changing currents, low temperatures, very poor visibility and so much metal and other unknown objects," Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. of the Maryland State Police said.
But officials promised rescue efforts would not be abandoned.
"The Coast Guard's not going away, none of our partners are going away," Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath of the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Eight people were reportedly repairing potholes on the bridge when it tumbled down. Rescuers pulled two people out of the water after the bridge collapsed. One was treated at a hospital and discharged hours later. Multiple vehicles also went into the river, although authorities did not believe anyone was inside.
The search for the remaining six people on the bridge when it collapsed is now a recovery mission.
"This is an excruciating day for several families," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday.
"We do not know where they are, but we intend to give it our best effort to help these families find closure," Butler assured. "We're going to work with structural engineers to help (dive crews) understand how to navigate and address the challenges of having bridge structure in the water that may be sharp, that could puncture a suit."
Officials say a mayday call was issued from the ship moments before it crashed into the bridge. That enabled first responders to limit traffic on the 1.6-mile-long bridge, which was used by 12 millions vehicles last year.
The National Transportation Safety Board is on the scene investigating the incident. Audio from the ship suggests the crew was having problems steering just before the crash.
"A loss of power is one of the worst things that can happen, particularly at that moment where the vessel is already in restricted waters," Capt. Michael Burns Jr. of the Maritime Center for Responsible Energy said.
"It could mean the loss of steering, communications, the loss of your bridge equipment, which is providing you with your position and heading information."
Officials at all levels of government, including the FBI, have said there's no credible evidence to suggest the crash was some sort of terrorist attack. All 22 people aboard the cargo ship survived, with no reports of injuries.
The collapse of the bridge could potentially have severe ripples effects for the nation's commerce. Last year, the Port of Baltimore handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion, according to the state of Maryland.
Ships can't get into the port right now, President Joe Biden saying Tuesday he planned to travel to Baltimore and intends for the federal government to pick up the entire cost of rebuilding.
Ship traffic is now being re-routed and trucks are being diverted, creating potential delays for importers and higher costs for consumers.
"We ... need to make sure that the channel is reopened," Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin said. "It's critically important to our economy. It affects many, many jobs. It affects not only jobs here in Maryland, but around the country and world.
"So our next priority is to make sure we get that channel opened."
"The path to normalcy will not be easy, it will not be quick, it will not be inexpensive," Buttigieg said. "But we will rebuild together."
Investigators say the force of the crash led to the collapse of the bridge, not the condition of the bridge itself.