Removal of collapsed Baltimore bridge begins

Clearing the bridge and freeing the container ship, named Dali, are a priority for the authorities, while maritime transport is at a standstill in this port, one of the busiest in the country.

A huge construction site is opening in the ruins of the Francis Scott Key bridge, in Baltimore (east side of the United States). A first piece of the structure which collapsed during the night of March 26 after a collision with a cargo ship, was cut out and moved, the American Coast Guard declared on Sunday March 31, thus marking the start of operations clearing. The container ship involved in the spectacular accident is stuck on site, with part of the bridge collapsed on it, blocking maritime transport in one of the country’s busiest ports.

Two people were killed in the collapse of the structure, while four others, still missing, are now considered dead.

No date for the reopening of the channel

A video released by authorities on Saturday showed workers cutting metal from a bridge beam as early as Saturday. A first piece then had to be lifted by a crane, then transferred to a boat, before being transported to a storage site.

Since the search stopped, clearing the bridge and freeing the container ship, named Dali, have been a priority for the authorities. “Progress is starting to be made despite the fact that this is an extremely complicated situation,” Wes Moore, the governor of the state of Maryland, where Baltimore is located, welcomed Sunday on CNN.

“This is not only important for Baltimore workers, but for our national supply chain,” American Transport Minister Pete Buttigieg said on CBS on Sunday, specifying that he did not know when the channel could be reopened to maritime transport.