![\"US](\"https:\/\/c.ndtvimg.com\/2024-03\/7jv7msqo_baltimore-bridge-collapse_625x300_28_March_24.jpeg\"\/ "\\"US")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBaltimore, US: <\/b><\/p>\n
The complex process of clearing the tangled wreckage of the Baltimore bridge that collapsed spectacularly this week was set to begin Saturday with removal of a first section, officials said.<\/p>\n
The collapse killed six people and blocked traffic through the busy US port.<\/p>\n
“This is the first of many, many, many steps going forward,” Maryland transportation secretary Paul Wiedefeld said at a news briefing. “But it is a huge milestone as we start this process.”<\/p>\n
Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said a huge floating crane — capable of lifting loads of more than 100 tons — was set to move one fallen section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. He gave no details on its dimensions.<\/p>\n
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the piece in question was not one of those pinning down the massive container ship Dali, which lost power Tuesday and crashed into a bridge pillar, provoking the shockingly quick collapse.<\/p>\n
Moore said it would “take days,” but teams would eventually “open up a temporary restricted channel” allowing more tugs, barges and other boats to enter the area to accelerate the clean-up operation.<\/p>\n
For now, shipping traffic is at a standstill, affecting thousands of shippers, port workers and others, and the thousands of people who normally use the bridge each day have had to find alternative routes.<\/p>\n
Removing the twisted steel remnants of the bridge and freeing the Dali is a top priority for local authorities, who say the collapse could have a major impact on the regional economy for years.<\/p>\n
“At least 8,000 workers on the docks have jobs that have been directly affected by this collapse,” Moore said.<\/p>\n
The governor began his news conference by paying tribute to the six road workers — all Latino immigrants — who died when the bridge tumbled into the deep waters of the Patapsco River.<\/p>\n
Two bodies have been recovered, while the four others have been declared missing and presumed dead.<\/p>\n
Recovery efforts have been suspended, with authorities saying the water — cold, dark and filled with jagged steel and concrete debris — is for now too dangerous for divers.<\/p>\n
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n