Debris removal tasks begin after bridge collapse in Baltimore

The reopening of the North American port of Baltimore It will take some time, although the area where the bridge collapsed has begun to be cleaned to, in a second phase, search for the remains of four Latin American workers presumed dead, authorities said.

Two cranes arrived to begin the complicated operation of removing the twisted steel debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridgethat collapsed on Tuesday, blocking the entrance to the port of Baltimorein the east of U.S.

LOOK HERE: Who were the Latino workers who died in the Baltimore bridge collapse?

A large part of the structure, where tens of thousands of drivers passed daily, fell into the ground. Patapsco Riverwhen eight Latin American workers worked on the roads repairing potholes.

Two were rescued shortly after the bridge collapsed, while the other six were presumed dead. Divers found the bodies of two workers on Wednesday, but the search for the remaining four had to be postponed because it was too dangerous, local authorities announced.

The idea is to remove the debris and then look for the bodies.

“We are (…) incredibly sensitive to the idea that this is also the resting place of four parents, four brothers, four children“, said this Thursday the White House advisor Tom Perez.

Local residents attended a vigil in a nearby park on Thursday morning, local media reported, and the Baltimore City Hall launched a fundraiser to support the families of the victims.

“We are wholeheartedly with the families“, the governor of Maryland, Wes Moore. “We are very sorry for this tragedy” he added.

MORE INFORMATION: What is the impact on the economy of closing the Baltimore Bridge and how long will it take to rebuild?

He asked for patience, because “This (reconstruction) work will not take hours, days or weeks.”. “We have a long way to go”.

The reopening of the port is a government priority. “We’re moving heaven and earth” to get it working again, Pérez said.

O Federal Highway Administration agreed to provide an initial $60 million requested by Maryland for what Moore called “immediate response efforts and to lay the foundation for a rapid recovery”.

“The federal government is committed to providing all the resources necessary to rebuild the bridge“, informed in a note the administrator of the organization, Shailen Bhatt.

The disaster could lead to the biggest marine insurance payout to date, according to the head of the insurance giant Lloyd’s from London, Bruce Carnegie Brown.

“It is a very substantial loss, potentially the largest insured marine loss,” he told CNBC.

SEE TOO: How a ship collided with the Baltimore Bridge and what is known about the possible causes

The closure of the port also worries the local economy, since 140 thousand jobs depend on port activity, and affects the national production chain in general.

Baltimore is the nation’s largest vehicle movement port, including automobiles and heavy agricultural machinery, according to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg. Between 100 and 200 million dollars in value passes through it daily.

The Port Authority of New York It is New Jersey will accept additional cargo to help mitigate the impact on the supply chain.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.