A cargo ship crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning, causing a near-total collapse of the span and halting vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore.
Six construction workers are believed to have fallen from the collapsing bridge into the frigid waters of the Patapsco River below. The bodies of two of the victims have been recovered so far, while four remain missing and are presumed dead, officials said.
Latest Developments
Unified Command plans to dispatch an additional 7 cranes, 10 tugs and 8 barges
The Unified Command dispatched the Chesapeake 1000 early Friday morning and plans to dispatch an additional seven cranes, 10 tugs and nine barges over the next 120 hours.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
3 crane barges from US Navy arrive in Baltimore, 4th coming next week
Three cranes from the U.S. Navy have arrived in Baltimore to remove submerged portions of the bridge, and a fourth crane is set to arrive next week, the Navy said.
The Chesapeake has a 1,000-ton lift capacity, the Ferrell has a 200-ton lift capacity and the Oyster Bay has a 150-ton lift capacity, the Navy said.
"Work will focus on disassembling and removing the bridge section by section. The disassembled pieces will be lifted onto barges, which will then be transported away," the Navy said in a statement. "An additional 12 crane and support vessels to include tugs, survey, dive and crew boats, are in the mobilization process and will arrive to Baltimore in the coming days."
Freight nearly size of Eiffel Tower, shipping containers 'ripped in half as if they were papier-maché'
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Friday outlined several goals in the aftermath of the bridge collapse, describing the scope of the disaster as a freight nearly the size of the Eiffel Tower "with the Key Bridge resting on top of it," and shipping containers "ripped in half as if they were papier-maché."
Moore told reporters the Unified Command continues to focus on recovery efforts to help bring "closure" to victims’ families.
He said as soon as conditions in the water are safe enough, divers will go back in the water to look for the four victims who are still missing.
Another priority is clearing the blocked channel, he said, stressing that the Port of Baltimore must reopen for the "health" of the Maryland economy and U.S. economy.
Moore also promised to rebuild the bridge, and to take care of everyone impacted by the crisis, including the families, workers, businesses and first responders.
Video: Gov. Moore: 'We are going to rise to meet this moment'
Biden to visit Baltimore next week
President Joe Biden plans to visit Baltimore next week with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, he told reporters on Friday.
The Biden administration approved $60 million in emergency relief funds for rebuilding the bridge hours after receiving the request from the state of Maryland, the White House said Thursday.
"The federal emergency funds we're releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "President Biden has been clear: the federal government will do everything it takes to help rebuild the bridge and get the Port of Baltimore back open."
Heavy duty crane arrives at bridge
The Chesapeake 1000 crane -- capable of lifting roughly 2.2 million pounds at a time -- arrived at the bridge at 11 p.m. Thursday, according to the bridge response Unified Command.
The piece of steel on the bow of the ship weighs roughly 9 million pounds.
Engineers will need to figure out exactly how and where to cut the steel to ensure no further danger will be posed to construction crews or the ship, the Unified Command said. Once the engineers determine where and how to cut the steel, they will begin to remove it from the ship in multiple pieces, the Unified Command said.
The Unified Command is made up of agencies including the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Maryland State Police.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
At least 1 vehicle still submerged
At least one large vehicle is still submerged under the murky Patapsco River, the Secretary of the Maryland State Police, Col. Roland L. Butler, Jr., said Thursday night.
Officials said they believe the vehicle belonged to the crew that was working on the bridge at the time of the collapse.
Pieces of the bridge, concrete and rebar also are in the water, Butler said.
“It's going to take some time to get to that and it's going to take some time to do carefully, and then to shore that up before we can put an end to recovering whatever's in that vehicle,” Butler said.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told reporters Thursday night he remains hopeful that the four victims who are still missing will be recovered.
“We remain hopeful that in the course of this salvage work, we are able to recover those who remain missing and bring them home,” Scott said.
-ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson
Cranes en route to Baltimore to help clear channel: Governor
Cranes are en route to Baltimore to help clear the bridge debris from the channel, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said during a press briefing Thursday.
The wreckage needs to be cleared to help advance recovery efforts, after diving operations were suspended Wednesday night due to "security concerns," as well as to reopen the channel and ultimately rebuild the bridge, Moore said.
The U.S. Navy will be providing three cranes, according to a Navy spokesperson. Among them, the "largest crane in the Eastern Seaboard" should be arriving later Thursday evening, Moore said.
"This is an incredibly complex job, and our timeline will be long," Moore said. "We've got work to do, but we're moving."
Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath with the U.S. Coast Guard said assessments are underway to determine how to break down the bridge into the "right-size pieces" so that a crane can lift them.
"Our number one priority is to reopen the Port of Baltimore as fast as we can [and] do it safely," he said.
Biden administration approves $60 million for bridge costs
The Biden administration approved $60 million in emergency relief funds for rebuilding the bridge hours after the receiving the request from the state of Maryland, the White House said Thursday evening.
"The federal emergency funds we're releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "President Biden has been clear: the federal government will do everything it takes to help rebuild the bridge and get the Port of Baltimore back open."
3 responding officers honored at Orioles' opening day for 'courage, bravery'
Three officers from the Maryland Transportation Authority were celebrated at the Baltimore Orioles' opening day on Thursday for their bravery responding to the bridge collapse.
"Their courage, bravery, and quick thinking saved lives," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement. "When duty called, they answered. When crisis struck, they stepped into the breach for total strangers. In this time of challenge, they’re a bright light for our nation and our state."
The officers -- Sgt. Paul Pastorek, Cpl. Jeremy Herbert and officer Garry Kirts -- said in a joint statement, "You train for years to respond to tragedy as an officer, but no amount of training could have prepared anyone for the events that took place on the Francis Scott Key Bridge."
"We were proud to carry out our duties as officers of this state to save the lives that we could, and we are grateful for the incredible amount of support from this community that we love so much," they said. "While your messages and outreaches are so appreciated, we respectfully ask for privacy at this time as we mourn the lives of those lost and spend time with those we hold dear."
-ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson
What we know about the victims
The bodies of two of the six construction workers killed were recovered on Wednesday, found by divers trapped in a pickup truck submerged underwater, police said.
The other four victims have not been recovered.
The workers found on Wednesday were identified by police as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, a native of Mexico who lived in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, a native of Guatemala who lived in Dundalk, Maryland.
Among the four still missing is construction worker Miguel Luna, 49, a father of five, and Maynor Suazo Sandoval, a father of two.
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