Biden pledges to stand with Baltimore 'as long as it takes' after bridge collapse

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden pledged Tuesday to stand with residents of the city of Baltimore after a container ship struck and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in what he called a "terrible accident."

Biden said current information indicates the crash was not intentional, and that he is directing senior officials to "move heaven and Earth" to rebuild the bridge and open the Port of Baltimore "as soon as humanly possible." The port in the state of Maryland, blocked by the early Tuesday bridge collapse, stands as one of the world's busiest shipping hubs.

"We're gonna send all the federal resources they need as we respond to this emergency. And I mean all the federal resources. And we're gonna rebuild that port together. Everything so far indicates that this was a terrible accident," he said in remarks broadcast from the White House.

"It's my intention that federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge. And I expect the Congress to support my effort. It's gonna take some time, and the people of Baltimore can count on us though, to stick with them at every step of the way till the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt," he added.

- 6 people confirmed missing

Six people have been confirmed missing after the incident. All are believed to have been part of a construction crew who were working on the bridge filling potholes when it was struck around 1.30 am local time (0530GMT), said Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld.

It is unclear if any cars were transiting the bridge when it collapsed, but Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the operators of the Dali container ship radioed in a mayday call that allowed officials at the bridge "to begin to stop the flow of traffic so more cars were not up on the bridge."

He did not say whether any vehicles were on the bridge at the time of impact, stressing that the investigation remains ongoing.

"Many of the vehicles were stopped before they got onto the bridge, which saved lives in a very, very heroic way," he said.

Water temperatures in the Patapsco River were sitting at a frigid 47F (8C) Tuesday morning, according to federal tracking data.

The Key Bridge was one of three main arteries used to transit the Baltimore Harbor, with roughly 35,000 people using it daily for their commutes, spanning the entryway to the harbor where the vital Port of Baltimore is located. All commercial ship traffic has been halted to allow for search and rescue efforts to continue.

Video of the incident circulating on social media appears to show the Dali partially losing power at least twice as a plume of thick black smoke pours out of the container vessel. The ship then rams into one of the bridge's support pillars, causing its collapse in dramatic fashion about a second later. ​​​​​​​

Biden said he would visit Baltimore "as quickly as I can" in the aftermath of Tuesday's crash.

Baltimore lies about 64 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of Washington, DC.