Shocking aerial footage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore shows the extent of the damage to the 366-metre-long structure.
The bridge - which connected Hawkins Point in Baltimore and Dundalk in Maryland - collapsed at approximately 1:30am local time yesterday morning (26 March) after it was struck by a cargo ship.
Six people are presumed dead after the structure fell into the Patapsco River below, and investigations are ongoing into the devastating 'mass casualty' event.
Hours after the collapse, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released aerial footage taken over the area where the bridge used to stand, showing how the road now comes to an abrupt end before dropping into the water below.
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Further on, pieces of the road and the structure can be seen sticking out of the river, with some of the larger pieces lying lopsided where they fell.
The cargo ship Dali remained where it had crashed into the bridge, with huge segments of the structure lying across it.
Meanwhile, smaller boats made their way around the area.
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As part of the investigation into the crash, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said officials had boarded the Dali ship late in the evening to gather information which could offer insight to what went wrong.
“Some investigators boarded late last night to look at the engine room, the bridge and gather any sort of electronics or documentation," Homendy said.
“Right now, we do have the data record, which is essentially the ‘black box'. We’ve sent that back to our lab to evaluate and begin to develop a timeline of events that led up to the strike on the bridge.”
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Authorities were able to work quickly to stop cars from entering the bridge after the ship struck the structure, though there were eight construction workers believed to be mending potholes when it collapsed.
Two of the workers have since been pulled from the river alive, but the remaining six are sadly presumed dead.
The missing workers are reported to be dad-of-three Miguel Luna; dad-of-two Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval; a 26-year-old and a 35-year-old from Guatemala who have not been named, and Mexican nationals.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has stressed that rescuers are still focused on finding the missing workers in the water.
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Speaking to CNN, he said: "That work is already dangerous, but will be even more so today.
"With the expected rain, the choppy waters and we all know about the debris and other things that they'll be dealing with."
"We also have to live those first responders up who are putting their own lives at risk to be able to bring home those who we lost to have some sort of closure for those families."
Topics: Baltimore bridge, US News
Emily Brown