It’s been one month since Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapsed. Here is where recovery efforts stand.

By Rohan Mattu

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Four bodies have been recovered, over 1,300 tons of steel have been salvaged, and three temporary channels have opened four weeks after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

The bridge collapsed after its support column was struck by a malfunctioning cargo ship in the early morning hours of March 26, sending eight construction workers into the Patapsco River below, killing six of them.

Access to the Port of Baltimore remains limited since the collapse, and a delicate, complex salvage effort is underway in the Patapsco River. Support programs are underway to assist the thousands of workers impacted by the collapse.

Since the collapse, the FBI and NTSB have launched separate investigations into the incident and Baltimore City announced a lawsuit against the owners and managers of the cargo ship, called the Dali.

Salvage effort at Key Bridge site ongoing

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leading the salvage effort. The branch said its priority is to clear the main channel through the river to reopen access to the Port of Baltimore.

LOCAL NEWS It’s been one month since Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapsed. Here is where recovery efforts stand. baltimore By Rohan Mattu

Updated on: April 23, 2024 / 11:38 AM EDT / CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE — Four bodies have been recovered, over 1,300 tons of steel have been salvaged, and three temporary channels have opened four weeks after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

The bridge collapsed after its support column was struck by a malfunctioning cargo ship in the early morning hours of March 26, sending eight construction workers into the Patapsco River below, killing six of them.

Access to the Port of Baltimore remains limited since the collapse, and a delicate, complex salvage effort is underway in the Patapsco River. Support programs are underway to assist the thousands of workers impacted by the collapse.

Since the collapse, the FBI and NTSB have launched separate investigations into the incident and Baltimore City announced a lawsuit against the owners and managers of the cargo ship, called the Dali.

Salvage effort at Key Bridge site ongoing The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leading the salvage effort. The branch said its priority is to clear the main channel through the river to reopen access to the Port of Baltimore.

Massive floating cranes are being used as wreckage and debris removal continues. Engineers have to break the mangled bridge into smaller pieces to lift them away, and Navy sonar images revealed wreckage in the deepest part of the channel.

Gov. Wes Moore announced Friday that over 1,300 tons of steel from what used to be the Francis Scott Key Bridge have been removed from the river so far.

The rubble and debris are going to nearby Sparrows Point for processing and recycling.

The progress has enabled the opening of three temporary channels for some ships to get in and out of the Port of Baltimore, but access is still restricted.

On Saturday, the third temporary channel opened on the northeast side to allow commercial vessels some access to the port, allowing about 15 percent of the pre-collapse vessel traffic through.

Officials say this is all part of a phased approach to opening the river’s main channel, which spans 700 feet, by the end of May, restoring port access to normal capacity.

The Dali remains pinned under tons of steel at the crash site, and removing more shipping containers from the vessel is essential to move the ship. Engineers aim to remove 140 containers to refloat the Dali; 120 containers were removed as of Friday.

Dali’s crew of 22 have remained on the ship since the March 26 accident. They do not have the appropriate visas to leave the ship, our media partner the Baltimore Banner reports, so they rely on organizations to bring them essentials.

Gov. Moore said officials have been in communication with that crew, as well as the crews aboard other cargo ships stuck in the port, adding they’re in good health.

2 bodies remain missing The men killed in the Key Bridge collapse were working for Brawner Builders, filling potholes on the center span of the bridge.

“Most were immigrants, but all were Marylanders.” President Joe Biden said shortly after the collapse. “Hardworking, strong and selfless. After pulling a night shift fixing potholes, they were on a break when the ship struck.”

As a memorial grows on Fort Armistead Road for the six men killed in the accident, recovery efforts to locate the two workers still missing under the wreckage are ongoing. They have been identified as Miguel Luna, of El Salvador, and Jose Maynor Lopez, of Guatemala.

Three of the victims recovered were identified as: Dorlian Cabrera, 26, who was originally from Guatemala and lived in Dundalk; Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, who lived in Baltimore and was from Mexico; and Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 38, of Guatemala.

A fourth body was recovered last week. He has not been identified at the request of his family, but he is known to be from Mexico.

Investigations, lawsuit launched Both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched probes into the crash.

The NTSB said its investigation focuses on the ship’s electrical system, as the ship lost power and the ability to steer before the collapse. The agency said it expects the preliminary report on the collapse to be released by the first week of May.

When the FBI launched its investigation last week, it confirmed it had agents on the ship “conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity.”

Baltimore City is suing the owners and managers of the Dali, claiming the owners of the ship were negligent in letting the vessel leave the Port of Baltimore without failing to fix known power problems.

Perhaps anticipating a wave of lawsuits, the companies that own and manage the ship took steps about a week after the collapse to limit their legal liability.

Assistance for those affected Local, federal and community resources continue to pour in to support the port workers, victims’ families and others impacted by the collapse.

The disaster affected 15,300 jobs directly related to port activity, but overall about 140,000 people are impacted.

On the day of the collapse, President Joe Biden announced the federal government should pay for the entire cost of the bridge’s reconstruction, funding that Congress would need to approve.

Federal grants were freed up for dislocated workers to help replace jobs affected by the collapse. The government also allocated $8 million in grant funds for infrastructure improvements at Sparrows Point, the only port unaffected by the collapse.

Two weeks after the collapse, Gov. Moore signed the PORT Act, which allows the governor to use up to $275 million from the state’s rainy day fund to offset wage losses for those impacted by the closure and reduced operations at the Port of Baltimore.

The Port of Baltimore Worker Support Program provides temporary relief to Port workers who have lost work and income. The Small Business Administration has also opened recovery centers to assist small businesses.

Applications are open for the Port Business Wage Subsidy program, which is administered by the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development. It will grant $1 million in wage subsidies to help businesses at the port pay their employees.

WJZ has partnered with The United Way of Central Maryland on the Bridging the Gap Fund to support eviction prevention, food access, and other needs.

Maryland also launched a website centralizing assistance for those impacted by the collapse.

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