USA: at least 6 presumed dead in Baltimore bridge collapse

A cargo ship lost control and slammed into one of the pillars of a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in seconds and the building collapsing. A terrifying spectacle which could disrupt maritime traffic in the area for at least six months.

Six people were missing and presumed dead. Local police officials suspended the search for survivors Tuesday evening.

The ship's crew had issued a distress call minutes before the impact on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, allowing authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland Governor Wes Moore said.

“These people are heroes,” Mr. Moore said. They saved lives last night.

As the ship sped towards the bridge, authorities barely had time to stop the vehicles.

In the evening, Col. Maryland State Police Superintendent Roland L. Butler Jr. announced that the search and rescue mission was transitioning to a search and recovery mission. He also said the search was being paused and divers would return to the site at 6 a.m. on Wednesday until conditions improved with daybreak. No bodies have been found, Butler said.

The accident happened in the middle of the night, well before the busy early morning traffic. This bridge was used by at least 12 million vehicles last year.

The six missing people were part of a construction crew tasked with filling potholes on the bridge, said Paul Wiedefeld, state transportation secretary.

The Guatemalan consulate in Maryland said in a statement that two of the missing were citizens of the Central American country.

Honduran Deputy Foreign Minister Antonio Garcia told the Associated Press that a Honduran citizen, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, was missing.

And the Mexican consulate in Washington said via social media platform X that Mexicans were also among the missing.

A senior executive from the company that employed the workers also said in the afternoon that the workers were presumed dead given the depth of the water and the time that had elapsed.