A search and rescue mission is underway for those missing because of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore early this morning. Paul Wiedefeld, Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) secretary, said eight of the people who fell into the Patapsco River were contractors working on the bridge.
Two people have been rescued from the water, one of whom has been hospitalized.
According to NBC News, a representative from Brawner Builders, Inc. said that the company had a crew on the bridge when it collapsed.
The Brawner Builders’ crew was doing concrete repair on the bridge, according to Wiedefeld.
“At this time this is an active search and rescue mission,” Wiedefeld said. “We know there were individuals on the bridge at the time of the collapse, working on the bridge.”
According to Wiedefeld, there is no accurate count of the total number of missing people from the bridge collapse.
Stacy Tetschner, president and CEO of the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), released a statement this morning expressing concern for everyone involved.
“The collapse of a portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge this morning is a tragic reminder of the risks we all face every day on our roads. We are concerned for the contractors who were working on the bridge, the motorists traveling on it and everyone who was in harm’s way. We are thankful for the many individuals and agencies involved in the search and rescue mission, including our partners at the Maryland Department of Transportation. Our thoughts are with the many people assisting in this effort and the families impacted by it,” Tetscher said in a statement.
The water temperature could complicate the search and rescue mission. Anyone who may have fallen into the water has been in the water for at least nine hours.
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Source: WUSA9.com, ATSSA
