A recovery operation will resume Wednesday morning in search for the six construction workers who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Tuesday evening the search has been suspended for the night and the workers are presumed to be dead.
“Based on the length of time that we’ve gone into search, the extensive search efforts we put into it, the water temperature, at this time, we don’t believe we will find these individuals still alive,” said Admiral Shannon Gilreath, with the U.S. Coast Guard.
A large container ship struck a bridge column at around 1:30 a.m.
The scene remained an active search and rescue throughout the day Tuesday.
Officials said eight construction workers were repairing potholes on the bridge when the cargo ship crashed into the bridge. One refused treatment, another was taken to Shock Trauma and later discharged, and six were never found.
“We are going to suspend the active search and rescue efforts,” Gilreath said. “We are just going to transition to a different phase.”
Colonel Roland Butler, with the Maryland State Police, said water and weather conditions made it difficult for first responders to continue searching Tuesday evening.
“The changing of conditions have made it dangerous for the first responders and divers in the water,” Butler said. “We will still have surface ships out overnight and tomorrow morning we are hoping to put divers in the water and begin a more detailed search to do our best to recover those six individuals.”
Julie Eich
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