Crews started lifting the first section of Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge from the water on Saturday, a move aimed at allowing access for barges and tugboats to reach the disaster site.
The workers are currently focusing on lifting a section of the bridge while leaving the crumpled part resting on the bow of the Dali, the container ship responsible for the bridge collapse, officials said. Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden said on Friday he will go to Baltimore next week.
Tom Perez, senior adviser and assistant to Biden, said Sunday that plans for the visit were still being worked out. He called the salvage operation a “Herculean undertaking”.
“The Port of Baltimore will be back,” Mr Perez told MSNBC. “The president has said this. We’re going to move heaven and earth to make sure we rebuild the bridge, we clear out the debris as soon as possible, so that we can minimize these disruptions.”
It comes after enormous cranes arrived in Baltimore to help clear the wreckage, which officials say is an essential step before recovery efforts to find the missing construction workers and reopen the port.