US authorities demolish part of collapsed Baltimore bridge
- Collapsed Baltimore bridge is blasted into pieces in and effort to clear wreckage
- A ship lost power and crashed into one of the bridge’s support columns on March 26
Demolition experts used explosives on Monday to remove part of a collapsed bridge in Baltimore and free a cargo ship that has been trapped since it rammed into the structure in March.
The demolition will eventually allow workers to remove the nearly 300-metre Dali container vessel which has almost entirely blocked access to one of America’s biggest ports for the past six weeks.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, a major transit route, was destroyed in seconds when the Singapore-flagged ship lost power and ploughed into a support column, causing the bridge to collapse and killing six construction workers.
US President Joe Biden promised last month to “move heaven and earth” to rebuild the bridge, pledging federal funds and saying a new channel for shipping traffic would open by the end of May.
Monday’s demolition produced a plume of grey smoke before parts of the structure fell into the water.
The Key Bridge Response Unified Command, which carried out the action, said the smaller parts would be lifted out by cranes, allowing the Dali to be removed from the channel.