BALTIMORE, March 28, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Emergency services combed the cold
waters of Baltimore harbor Wednesday in search of the bodies of six men --
all reported to be Latin American immigrants -- presumed killed when a giant
cargo ship slammed into the bridge where they were working the night shift
fixing potholes.

Police and Coast Guard crews swarmed the disaster site, with specialized
divers scouring the river under the destroyed Francis Scott Key Bridge. Their
task, however, was limited to recovering bodies.

"We do not believe any of these individuals are still alive," the regional
Coast Guard chief, Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath, said.

The container ship Dali, almost a kilometer (0.6 mile) long and piled high
with cargo, was leaving the busy port at 1:30 am Tuesday en route to Asia
when power failed and the vessel crashed straight into a support column.

Nearly the entire steel structure -- crossed by tens of thousands of
motorists each day -- collapsed instantly, cascading over the bow of the
ship, blocking one of the busiest US trading ports.

The vessel, which remained entangled in the debris Wednesday, was "stable,"
Coast Guard Vice Admiral Peter Gautier told reporters at the White House,
adding that the mostly Indian crew remained on board and were "very much
engaged" in the investigation.

Gautier insisted the disabled ship's presence in the harbor did not present
an environmental danger, despite the billion and a half gallons of oil and
few dozen hazardous material cargo containers on board. Two other containers
-- of the total 4,700 -- were lost overboard, he said.

"There is no threat to the public from the hazardous materials onboard," he
assured.

Police managed to stop vehicles from driving onto the bridge as soon as they
received a Mayday call from the ship, warning of the impending collision.

US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said "a bridge like this one...
was simply not made to withstand a direct impact on a critical support pier."

But he praised first responders' quick thinking in stopping traffic, saying
otherwise "loss of life might have been in the dozens."

There was no chance, however, to evacuate the eight men filling potholes on
the road directly above the oncoming ship.

Officials said that two were pulled from the water, one of them seriously
injured and the second unharmed. The other six vanished into the swirling
currents and crumpled tangle of wrecked girders and pylons.

- 'Humble' men -

The Baltimore Banner reported that the missing workers were from El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

"They are all hard-working, humble men," Jesus Campos, a colleague of the
eight workers, all employed by contractor Brawner Builders, said.

One of those now presumed dead was father-of-three Miguel Luna, according to
Casa, a nonprofit that serves immigrant communities.

Luna, from El Salvador, had left for work at 6:30 pm on Monday and never
returned, Casa said.

His wife, Maria del Carmen Castellon, told Telemundo 44 that she was
"devastated" by the wait for any information.

"My heart hurts with this situation," said Campos.

"They're human beings and they are my colleagues."

- Busy harbor blocked -

Footage of the collision showed the vessel slamming into one of the 47-year-
old bridge's supports.

"Just prior to the incident, the vessel, Dali, had experienced momentary loss
of propulsion. As a result, it was unable to maintain the desired heading,"
said the maritime authority for Singapore, where the ship is flagged.

The authority said the ship's management company, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd,
reported the crew "dropped anchors" in a last-ditch, failed attempt to hold
it back.

The ship had passed two overseas inspections in 2023, the authority said
Wednesday, adding that a fault monitor gauge was fixed in June.

Investigators from the authority and Singapore's Transport Safety
Investigation Bureau headed to Baltimore to assist the US Coast Guard.

The Port of Baltimore is the ninth-busiest major US port in terms of both
foreign cargo handled and foreign cargo value, and is directly responsible
for more than 15,000 jobs, supporting almost 140,000 more.

The effect on supply chains "clearly will not be trivial," Buttigieg said,
adding it was "too soon" to know when the port might reopen.

"Rebuilding will not be quick, or easy, or cheap," he cautioned.