Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore will have a “huge economic impact on the country,” and that its immediate reconstruction is “imperative.” Mr. Moore was speaking at a press conference Wednesday in the Baltimore borough of Dundalk.
The governor met with reporters as divers continued to search for six missing construction workers in the Patapsco River after a container ship lost power in the early hours of March 26 before colliding with the bridge, a critical artery across Baltimore harbor. The bridge collapsed shortly after the collision.
“This port is responsible for over 51 million tons of foreign cargo,” Mr. Moore said. “This is impacting that farmer in Kentucky. It’s impacting that auto dealer in Michigan, and so it is imperative that we get this bridge rebuilt.”
The governor also praised the work of the rescue teams and divers when speaking to the reporters. “I can’t stress enough the heroism of these folks,” he said. “They are in frigid conditions. They are down there in darkness, where they can literally see about a foot in front of them. They are trying to navigate mangled metal. And they’re also in a place that they … it is now presumed, that people have lost their lives. So the work of these first responders, the work of these divers, I cannot stress enough how remarkable these individuals are.”
