A second channel for small ships was opened in the port of Baltimore. The crane brought in could not yet lift the tons of steel out of the water

A second channel that allows smaller ships to sail into the Port of Baltimore has been opened, but most commercial shipping remains blocked by the collapsed bridge and the stranded container ship that caused the structure to collapse a week ago, reports Reuters.

A team made up of the US Coast Guard, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Maryland announced that the crews had cleared a 15-foot-deep channel, similar to the 11-foot channel opened Monday on the opposite side of the wreck.

The two auxiliary channels have allowed access for emergency vessels, tugboats and barges, but officials said they will need to remove debris from the bridge before opening the main channel, which is 15 meters (50 feet) deep. Large cargo ships need a depth of at least 35 feet, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at a news conference.

The Port of Baltimore ranks first in the United States for the volume it handles of automobiles and light trucks, agricultural and construction machinery, imported sugar and imported gypsum, according to the state of Maryland. Some operations of the terminals outside the affected area have been resumed.

While much of the still-standing girder appears intact, there is a steel web beneath the water that is posing a challenge to rescue crews who will try to cut the wreckage into pieces and lift it up with a crane, officials said .

“What we see in the water is that the wreckage has completely collapsed. Some people use the term wedge. But that makes it very difficult to even determine where to cut, how to cut,” said Col. Estee Pinchasin of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. the American army, during the same press conference.

The bodies of four victims remained stuck under the rubble, according to the authorities. Divers recovered two other bodies.

President Joe Biden will visit the accident site on Friday, the White House said.

The Biden administration helped secure equipment and an initial $60 million in emergency funding to begin the recovery, and the president asked Congress to fund the reconstruction of the bridge, which is part of a highway that loops around Baltimore. .

Publisher: GM

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