The US authorities suspended rescue efforts on Tuesday for the six missing in the collapse of the Baltimore bridge considering that they had already died after 18 hours in the water. The collapse of Francis Scott Key paralyzed one of the busiest ports in the United States, where gigantic container ships pass through every year and where tourist cruises also stop.
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“Based on the length of time we have been searching, the extensive search efforts we have put in, and the temperature of the water, we do not believe we will find any of the individuals still alive,” Coast Guard Commander Shannon Gilreath said in a statement. a press conference late Tuesday afternoon.
Gilreath clarified, however, that the Coast Guard will not abandon the site and that its tasks now enter a new phase to find the remains of the victims.
The Chief of the Maryland Police, Roland Butler, explained that visibility and temperature conditions have worsened with the fall of night and this makes it dangerous for divers to continue with their work.
During the night, there will be boats searching the area and divers will resume diving in the morning, Butler added.
The accident took place around 01:30 local time, when the freighter Dali left the port of Baltimore, collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused it to collapse. At least eight workers participating in works on the bridge fell into the dark waters of the river, two of whom were rescued alive.
The importance of Francis Scott Key
The Francis Scott Key Bridge is named after the author of the lyrics to the United States national anthem. About 11 million vehicles pass through it a year, an average of 31,000 a day.
The forced closure of the port can cause substantial economic damage. In 2023, more than 52 million tons of goods worth about $80 billion entered the United States through the Baltimore terminal, according to the office of Maryland Governor Wes Moore.
Baltimore is the deepest port on Maryland's Chesapeake Bay and handles the largest volume of commercial automobile and light truck shipping in the United States, as well as the largest quantities of imported sugar and gypsum.
It is the ninth most important port in the United States, in terms of cargo and value of cargo of foreign merchandise moved.
Its activity generates more than 15,000 direct jobs and almost 140,000 indirect jobs.
The marine terminal generates about $3.3 billion in total revenue each year, according to the Maryland State Archives, and contributes nearly $400 million in annual tax revenue.
More than 50 shipping companies use the port each year, for a total of almost 1,800 trips a year.
In addition to its use as a major port for container shipping, it also serves as a cruise terminal.
Last year, more than 440,000 people left the port of Baltimore, the most since 2012, according to the governor's office.
“Inadequate” protection
According to bridge designer Robert Benaim, large physical connectors over marine terminals like this one must be designed in such a way as to minimize damage in the event of a collision.
“Clearly the protection of the docks in this case was inadequate,” he said.
“A pier or a bridge column could never withstand the impact of a large ship. They must be protected from a collision,” he added.
For his part, Toby Mottram, professor of structural engineering at the University of Warwick, explained that “it is evident that the pier could not withstand the power of the impact, causing its failure and the subsequent collapse of the steel reinforcement and superstructure. of the reinforced concrete platform”.
“The magnitude of the damage to the bridge superstructure seems disproportionate to the cause, an issue that will be investigated in the future,” the specialist said.
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