Huge cranes have begun rolling into Baltimore, a critical move for hauling away the debris left by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. This step is vital before they can go on with the search for the construction workers who are still missing, according to officials.
Baltimore’s now the stage for a major clean-up to remove the remnants of the bridge from the river, with massive crane vessels and a legion of rescue workers converging on the scene.
The Chesapeake 1000, one of the incoming cranes, boasts the strength to hoist 1,000 tonnes—yet the bridge’s mass is guessed to be about three to four times that. Therefore, it’s gotta be sliced into chunks, Gov Moore mentioned.
Clearing the wreckage is key for pushing forward with the recovery efforts, especially after diving ops had to be put on ice Wednesday night due to “security concerns,” as well as for getting the channel back in business and eventually, for the bridge’s reconstruction, the governor elaborated.
Divers are on standby, eager for “the first word” that it’s all clear and secure to dive under the debris and “recover any of these folks that didn’t make it in this tragic event,” Col Roland Butler of the Maryland State Police stated.
For a bit of perspective on what these teams are up against, the governor compared the “freight” to the Eiffel Tower in terms of sheer bulk.
President Biden has also made a declaration, green-lighting $60m in immediate aid to patch up the bridge. He’s penciled in a trip to the city for the following week.
