Dozens of containers on board the cargo ship that toppled the Baltimore Key Bridge contained hazardous materials, Coast Guard officials said Wednesday.
Coast Guard Deputy Commander Peter Gauthier said at a White House briefing that 4,700 containers of hazardous materials were on the deck of the Dali tanker ship when it crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. He said it was carrying 56 containers.
However, officials stressed that there was “no threat to the public” as most of the potentially dangerous containers were unaffected by the collision. According to Fox News.
“Most of those containers are close to the cockpit and are not affected by the bow damage in any way,” Gauthier said. “And we have not decided whether there will be any release at this time.”
The Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers will lead a cleanup effort to remove the sunken ship deep in the Patapsco River, the remains of a destroyed railroad bridge, and vehicles trapped beneath the wreck.
Gauthier said the giant container ship was stuck in place with the weight of a section of the bridge holding its bow down.
“What’s really important here is, you know, there’s a portion of the bridge remaining on the bow of that ship, and we’re working very closely with the Army Corps of Engineers and their contractors. , we will first carry out the removal of that debris “before the ship is removed,” he said. “The bow is sitting on the bottom under the weight of bridge debris.”
Divers recovered two bodies from the river on Wednesday, but the search for the remaining four missing had to be halted because the bridge debris beneath the water was unstable and dangerous.
Searchers believe the bodies of other people are trapped under the rubble. They were likely among the vehicles that were on the bridge when it collapsed.
Once the wreck is cleared, divers will continue their efforts to recover bodies.
Everything you need to know about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore
- The Singapore-flagged container ship Dali, which crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and destroyed it early Tuesday morning, lost propulsion and tried to alert authorities that it was about to crash, according to reports. It is being
- According to authorities, six people are missing. Two people were pulled from the river by rescue workers.
- Seven vehicles were lost after falling off a 2.6-mile-long bridge. Authorities are using sonar technology to locate the vehicle.
- Video shows the ship’s power flashing and then turning back on shortly before the crash. Watch footage of the bridge collapse here.
- A Baltimore resident said the horrific collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday left him feeling like his entire house was falling down.
- Dali was also involved in a collision in 2016 while leaving the Belgian port of Antwerp.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.
At least six people, including construction workers repairing holes in the bridge’s subgrade, were killed in the disaster.
Officials also hope to remove the wreckage to clear the way for shipping to the Port of Baltimore.
The collapsed remains of the 2.6-mile bridge have blocked one of the nation’s busiest ports, threatening to disrupt $80 billion in cargo and more than 140,000 jobs.
The government plans to eventually build a new bridge, but that is expected to take several years.
“Rebuilding will not be quick, easy or cheap, but we will get it done,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters Wednesday.
“This is going to be a long and difficult road,” he added. “But we’re going to rally around Baltimore and rebuild together.”
