LIVE UPDATES: 2 bodies recovered after Baltimore bridge collapse

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Recovery efforts resumed Wednesday at the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.Divers returned to the site early Wednesday after challenging overnight conditions improved, scouring the waters for any signs of six missing workers.Officials said shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday, divers located a red pickup truck submerged in about 25 feet of water. Divers recovered two victims' bodies from the truck.The six people unaccounted for and presumed dead were part of a construction crew repairing potholes on the bridge.THE LATEST RIGHT NOWRecovery efforts resumed Wednesday for the six missing construction workers. All six are presumed dead, Coast Guard officials say.Two victims' bodies were recovered from within a red pickup truck under approximately 25 feet of water.They are identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk.Officials are moving to a "salvage" operation as divers believe the other bodies are trapped beneath debris.The survivor who was taken to Shock Trauma Tuesday was released Wednesday morning.The focus now turns to investigating what happened and reopening the channel as quickly and as safely as possible. Preliminary investigation shows this was not intentional.Baltimore Beltway\I-695 closed from Glen Burnie to Dundalk (traffic map here).The iconic Baltimore bridge collapsed around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday when the container ship Dali slammed into a pillar, causing a long span of the bridge to crumple into the Patapsco River.VIDEO: Officials say two bodies pulled from vehicle under bridgeAt least eight people went into the water. Two were rescued but the other six, part of a construction crew that had been filling potholes on the bridge, were missing and presumed dead.The search for the missing changed from a search and rescue mission to a recovery mission late Tuesday night, 18 hours after the workers disappeared."Based on the length of time that we've gone in the search, the extensive search efforts we've put into it, the water temperature, we do not believe that we are going to find any of these individuals alive, and so this evening around 7:30, we are going to suspend active search and rescue efforts," U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said Tuesday."This is an excruciating day for several families who woke up today to news that no one wants to receive. They are hoping and praying, and we are hoping and praying with them. We are all putting our arms around the city of Baltimore," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.RELATED: Video shows moment when Baltimore's Key Bridge collapsesMaryland State Police Col. Ronald Butler Jr. said the focus now shifts to a "salvage operation," as the bridge's super structure is blocking diver access to the remaining victims."We have exhausted all search efforts and the areas around this wreckage, and based on the sonar scans, we firmly believe the (remaining) vehicles are encased in the super structure and concrete that we tragically saw come down," he said."This is not a conclusion, it's a continuation and we take this phase just as seriously and just as personally as we took the last one," Gov. Wes Moore said.WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?Efforts so far were largely focused on the search for the six missing workers. But the focus will soon shift to two main objectives: investigating what happened and reopening the channel as quickly and safely as possible.VIDEO: NTSB provides timeline of events from DaliNational Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said investigators boarded the vessel and obtained a general timeline of events via the ship's voyage recorder data.At 1:24 a.m., numerous alarms went off on the bridge, and the VDR stopped. Two minutes later, it started again. That's when the pilots put out the first call for tugboats to assist. At 1:27 a.m., the pilot of the ship ordered the port anchor to drop and radioed that the ship lost power and was approaching the bridge. That's when the U.S. Coast Guard instructed the MDTA to shut down the bridge and all lanes were closed.The VRD recorded the collision about two minutes later at 1:29 a.m.Officials also determined the ship has 56 containers containing 764 tons of hazardous materials that federal agencies are working to address.Homendy said a preliminary report should be released by the NTSB in 2-4 weeks, with a final report not expected for 12-24 months.PORT OF BALTIMORE OPERATIONSThe Maryland Port Administration suspended vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore until further notice. The port is not shut down and they are still processing trucks inside of the terminals.Starting Wednesday, the New Vail Street gate will close until further notice. All truck traffic must enter through the Seagirt main gate at 2600 Broening Highway.The Seagirt main gate will not be extended to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday as previously scheduled. It will close at the normal time of 4:30 p.m.The Seagirt Marine Terminal will be closed on Good Friday.NO INDICATIONS OF TERRORISM Baltimore police Commissioner Richard Worley said there is no intelligence or any indication that the incident was intentional.The FBI released the following statement, saying: "There is no specific and credible information to suggest any ties to terrorism at this time. The investigation is ongoing. FBI Baltimore will continue to support our partners at the local, state and federal levels."Video below captures collapse of Key BridgeThe ship underwent 27 inspections since the Dali came into service in 2016. There were no issues until June, when Chilean authorities found deficiencies in propulsion and the auxiliary machinery.DHS said the Dali lost propulsion as it left Baltimore Harbor, which makes the June inspection particularly interesting.SkyTeam 11 video below shows bridge collapse & point of impactA STATE OF EMERGENCYThe governor's office released a statement, saying: "My office is in close communication with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski and the Baltimore Fire Department as emergency personnel are on the scene following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge."I have declared a state of emergency here in Maryland and we are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden administration."We are thankful for the brave men and women who are carrying out efforts to rescue those involved and pray for everyone's safety." Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Baltimore City in response to the collapse starting at 9 a.m. and will remain in place for 30 days, which enables the mobilization of emergency services and resources.Video below: Lester Holt — 'Sometimes you see life change on a dime'"This is an unthinkable tragedy," Scott said at a news conference early Tuesday morning. "This is a tragedy you can never imagine. Never did you think you would see the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of a movie ... Our focus should be the preservation of life.""We all awoke this morning to an unspeakable tragedy," Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said at a news conference early Tuesday morning. "We have a long road ahead, not just in the search and rescue but in the fallout after this."ALTERNATE ROUTESInterstate 695 is closed between Maryland Route 157 (Peninsula Expressway) in Dundalk and Maryland Route 10 (Arundel Expressway) in Glen Burnie.Interstate 95\Fort McHenry Tunnel (Maximum height: 14 feet, 6 inches; maximum width: 11 feet)Interstate 895\Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (Maximum height: 13 feet, 6 inches; maximum width: 8 feet)Vehicles transporting hazardous materials (including propane of more than 10 pounds) are prohibited in tunnels and should use the western section of I-695 around tunnels.See official truck routes through Baltimore City here.BIDEN: FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL PAY TO REBUILDPresident Joe Biden spoke on the bridge collapse Tuesday afternoon, saying the federal government will send all the resources needed by the city and state.Video: President speaks about bridge collapse"We're with you. We're going to stay with you for as long as it takes. Like the governor said, you're Maryland tough, you're Baltimore strong, and we're going to get through this together, and I promise we're not leaving," Biden said.The president called on Congress to put into motion the federal government paying for the construction of a replacement bridge."It's my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost to reconstruct the bridge," Biden said.Buttigieg said the president's plan is to rebuild the bridge and reopen the port. He said the administration is prepared to approve emergency funding upon request from the state.Video below: NTSB provides update on Key Bridge collapseThe Federal Highway Administration released a statement, saying: "The I-695 corridor is a vital connection for people and goods traveling along the East Coast, and we stand ready to offer technical assistance — including emergency relief funding — to help manage traffic and rebuild the bridge as quickly and safely as possible."In response to the collapse, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration have been actively coordinating with federal, state, and local officials in the region, including the Maryland Department of Transportation, the Maryland Transportation Authority, the city of Baltimore, U.S. Coast Guard, NTSB and others."Secretary (Pete) Buttigieg, Federal Highway Administrator (Shailen) Bhatt, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are on site today to offer federal support and assistance."WHAT'S NEXT?The collapse is sure to create a logistical nightmare for months, if not years, along the East Coast, shutting down ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore, a major shipping hub. The accident will also snarl cargo and commuter traffic."Losing this bridge will devastate the entire area, as well as the entire East Coast," Maryland state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling said.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, speaking at a news conference near the site Tuesday, said it was too soon to estimate how long it will take to clear the channel, which is about 50 feet deep."This is no ordinary bridge. This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure," he said at a news conference in Baltimore on Tuesday afternoon. "It has been part of the skyline for this region for longer than many of us have been alive."Highway signs as far south as Virginia are warning drivers of delays associated with the closure of the bridge."Aside from the obvious tragedy, this incident will have significant and long-lasting impacts on the region," American Trucking Associations spokesperson Jessica Gail said, calling Key Bridge and Baltimore's port "critical components'' of the nation's infrastructure.Gail noted that 1.3 million trucks cross the bridge every year — 3,600 a day. Trucks that carry hazardous materials will now have to make 30 miles of detours around Baltimore because they are prohibited from using the city's tunnels, she said, adding to delays and increasing fuel costs.WHERE IS THE BRIDGE?The Key Bridge opened in 1977, completing the Baltimore Beltway's circumference around the city. The bridge is southeast of the city proper and spans from Sparrows Point to the southernmost tip of Baltimore.According to a Maryland Transportation Authority report issued in November, the Key Bridge carried more than 12.4 million commercial and passenger vehicles in 2023.Federal Highway Administration records show the bridge was last inspected in May 2021, when inspectors rated it in fair condition overall at a rating of six (satisfactory) out of nine on three parameters. These inspections are supposed to occur every 24 months.The Key Bridge was indeed last inspected in May 2023 and "found to be in satisfactory condition with an overall rating of fair," per a press aide for U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. That inspection found the bridge was in fair condition as well.HOW TO DONATEThe Baltimore Civic Fund is offering a way for people to contribute to the families of the victims."In light of this tragic loss of life, we are opening a donation account to support these victims' families and the families of the survivors. The money raised will be distributed to the families of those impacted. While monetary support can never replace the loss of a loved one, our goal is to help ease the burden of those affected by this tragedy," the website states.Click here to learn more.FULL COVERAGE FROM WBAL