Divers working among the wreckage of the Francis Scott Bridge that collapsed last week found the body of another victim, the mayor of Baltimore City announced Friday evening local time.
Brandon Scott announced that the body of 38-year-old Minor Yasser Suazo Sandoval had been recovered from the water, and he also thanked the units working to remove the damage, noting that finding the victims is still considered a priority.
At the time of the disaster in the early morning of Tuesday last week, eight road construction workers were on the bridge carrying out excavation work, and two of them were rescued alive.
Two bodies have already been found and the remains of three other victims are being sought.
Most of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a 1.6-mile-long bridge that spans the mouth of the Patapsco River at the entrance to Baltimore Harbor, collapsed when the crippled and out-of-control container ship, the Daly, struck one of its steel columns. Stents. The structure, which rose 55 meters above the surface of the water and carried a multi-lane road, collapsed in a few seconds. The ship issued an emergency signal a few minutes ago, giving authorities enough time to quickly stop traffic on the bridge, but maintenance workers could not be notified.
President Joe Biden visited the site on Friday, where he was briefed on the rescue work, and promised in his press conference to rebuild the bridge.
As he put it, “heaven and earth would move” to do so, and he asserted that the entire country was behind Baltimore.
Technicians working to remove bridge debris said Thursday they expect the waterway to be cleared enough within four weeks to allow a limited reopening of the Port of Baltimore. According to the US military engineering unit, a channel 85 meters wide and 11 meters wide, through which larger cargo ships can pass, could be opened by the end of the month.
Based on the published salvage schedule, the port could return to full operation by the end of May, when shipping will be free in a section 213 meters wide and 15 meters deep.
Currently, there are only several smaller traffic lanes that mainly assist the movement of watercraft engaged in rescue work. Relief work is being assisted by the largest crane on the East Coast of the United States, capable of lifting 1,000 tons.
The Port of Baltimore is crucial not only to the state of Maryland, but also to the entire American economy in transporting certain products, such as the import and export of automobiles and agricultural parts. MTI said that due to the closure of the port, the jobs of thousands of people in the port were at risk, meaning a daily loss of millions to the economy.
