Evening summary
We are wrapping up our minute-by-minute updates on the Baltimore bridge collapse for this evening, but will continue to share major news updates on our homepage.
Six people remain missing in the wake of the bridge collapse, as state and national officials said a search and rescue mission by land, air and sea remained the top priority, and offered prayers and support to the families of the missing.
Local news outlets reported that eight construction workers repairing potholes on the bridge were believed to have fallen into the water, and only two have been rescued so far. One person who was hospitalized following the collapse has been released from the hospital.
The missing are “hard-working, humble men” from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. They are in their 30s and 40s and have spouses and children, another construction worker told the Baltimore Banner. Doctors from a local hospital trauma center said that it was unlikely that anyone could survive for multiple hours submerged in the harbor’s cold water.
Joe Biden called the bridge collapse “a terrible accident”, pledged financial and logistical assistance to rebuild the bridge and highlighted the importance of Baltimore’s port to the local and national economies.
The bridge collapse is expected to have a major and sustained impact on supply chains because of the importance of Baltimore’s harbor to international shipping routes.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the bridge collapse.
Maryland governor Wes Moore said quick action by officials as ship headed towards a collision with the bridge stopped additional vehicles from driving onto it, saving “innumerable” lives.
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Wes Moore: quick action to stop additional cars going over bridge saved lives
Asked by reporters if there had been any vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed, Maryland governor Wes Moore said that was still under investigation.
But he said that “the quick work” of public and law enforcement officials to keep additional vehicles from driving onto the bridge as the collision unfolded “undoubtedly saved innumerable lives”.
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