Baltimore has ‘very long road ahead’ after bridge disaster – as update given on ship crew
The governor of Maryland has said Baltimore has “a very long road ahead” following the city’s bridge collapse – as it was revealed all the crew on board the ship that crashed into it are in “good health”.
Governor Wes Moore’s comments came as he spoke about the clean-up operation following the Francis Scott Key bridge disaster during a news conference on Thursday.
He offered a rallying cry to the city and said that with “all speed and safety” officials planned to rebuild the structure.
The governor added: “I’m calling on everyone to do their part – in this game, no one gets to sit on the sidelines. We need every single Baltimorer and every single Marylander to help us.”
It comes after the Dali, a 300m (985ft) cargo ship, struck one of the bridge’s supports, causing it to break and fall into the water.
The vessel was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, at the time, according to data from Marine Traffic.
Officials from across different levels of the US government are currently attempting to raise funds to rebuild the bridge, the governor added.
Britannia, the insurer of the Dali, is also working with the vessel’s owner and US authorities on the investigation into what happened.
Meanwhile, of the 21 crew members, 20 are said to be Indian nationals, according to the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal.
He said: “Our information is that there are 21 crew members, of which 20 are Indians. All of them are in good shape, good health.
“One of them got injured slightly, needed to have some stitches. The stitches have been given, and he’s then gone back to the ship. Our embassy is in close touch with the Indians, onboard and also with local authorities in this matter.”
A satellite image of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Pic: AP
It comes after authorities said a pilot on board the vessel tried to swing it clear of the bridge by dropping its port anchor to pivot it away.
The pilot and a second senior member of staff on board at the time are to be interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday.
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CCTV shows the vessel losing power, start smoking and eventually hitting the bridge
The US Coast Guard also confirmed the container ship’s engines had undergone routine maintenance while in the Baltimore port.
Earlier, the bodies of two victims were recovered from a red pick-up truck that was found in the Patapsco River, around 25ft deep in the water.
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Four other people are still missing, presumed dead.
They are all construction workers who were said to be working in the middle section of the bridge, according to Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders.
Colonel Roland L. Butler Jr, from Maryland State Police, said further efforts to recover remains had been suspended because of the increasingly treacherous conditions.
Officials said the recovery mission is now a salvage operation because it was no longer safe for divers to navigate or operate around the debris and concrete in the port.
Police have said sonar information has led officials to believe vehicles still trapped underwater are encased in concrete and parts of the bridge that crashed down following the collision.
Thousands of so-called “No Kings” rallies are being held across the US to protest at what organisers are calling Donald Trump’s “crackdowns on First Amendment rights”.
Millions of people are expected to take part in the demonstrations – the second such gathering, after an initial nationwide day of protest in June, coinciding with the US president’s birthday.
The term “No Kings” reflects the belief by some that the US president is behaving like a “king” and some in his administration are depicting him as a monarch.
Supporters are framing the marches as a patriotic defence of free speech, while critics are calling them anti-American.
Here are some of the pictures emerging from the rallies.
People attend a ‘No Kings’ protest in New York. Pic: Reuters
A Donald Trump is presented as a prisoner in chains in Seattle. Pic: AP
Some protest marches, like this one in Washington DC, have the appearance of a colourful parade. Pic: AP
Donald Trump’s Republican Party has dismissed the demonstrations as “Hate America” rallies, but in many places the events looked more like a street party.
There were marching bands, huge banners and signs, effigies of the president and demonstrators wearing inflatable costumes.
A large inflatable effigy of Donald Trump in Chicago. Pic: Reuters
Thousands gather along a waterfront in Portland, Oregon. Pic: AP
Protesters at the Wyoming State Capitol are been creative with their signs. Pic: Wyoming Tribune Eagle/AP
The protests follow Donald Trump’s return to the White House and come against the backdrop of a government shutdown which has closed federal programmes and services.
There has also been criticism of what some see as an aggressive executive, confronting Congress and the courts, in ways that protest organisers believe are a slide toward authoritarianism.
This event in San Francisco is among thousands taking place across the US. Pic: Reuters
A ‘No Kings’ sign, outside City Hall in Los Angeles, represents a protest against what is seen as increasingly authoritarian rule. Pic: Reuters
So far, the atmosphere at most of the protests appears largely energetic and upbeat, with protesters calling for accountability and protections for civil liberties.
Organisers insist today’s events will be peaceful – a direct response to Republican and Trump administration claims that the protests could be unsafe.
Two survivors of a US airstrike, targeting what Donald Trump has described as a “drug-carrying submarine” in the Caribbean, have been repatriated to their home countries.
The US president posted footage of Thursday’s operation, part of a recent military campaign targeting boats transporting drugs to America.
“It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“US intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics,” he added.
The US military staged a helicopter rescue for the survivors on Thursday after the strike on their semi-submersible
vessel, suspected of trafficking illegal narcotics. They were then transported to a US Navy warship.
Two other crew members on board were killed.
The semi-submersible vessel was struck by US forces on Thursday, leaving two dead and two survivors. Pic: @realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
President Trump confirmed the survivors would be returned to their home countries of Colombia and Ecuador “for detention and prosecution”. Both countries subsequently confirmed they had been handed over.
“America will not tolerate narcoterrorists trafficking illegal drugs, by land or by sea,” he added.
On Saturday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted on X: “We have received the Colombian detained on the narco submarine, we are happy he is alive and he will be processed according to the law.”
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Trump sends CIA into Venezuela and threatens land attack
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The Trump administration has said previous strikes in the Caribbean have killed 27 people, raising concerns among some about the legality of the military operations.
The strikes also come against the backdrop of a US military buildup in the Caribbean that includes guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and around 6,500 troops as the US president escalates a standoff with the Venezuelan government.
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Venezuelan president: ‘We don’t want a war’
On Wednesday, Mr Trump disclosed he had authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, adding to speculation in Caracas that the US is attempting to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Mr Maduro has denied any connection to drug smuggling and claimed the US boat strikes are a pretext for regime change, and violations of sovereignty and international law.
Russia’s investment envoy has said research into the feasibility of a tunnel joining the US and Russia started “six months ago”.
Kirill Dmitriev first posted about the idea on Thursday, suggesting a “Putin-Trump” rail tunnel could connect the two countries under the Bering Strait, which separates Russia‘s vast and sparsely populated Chukotka region from Alaska.
Asked about the idea during a press conference with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, Donald Trump called it “interesting”.
He also asked President Zelenskyy what he made of it, to which Mr Zelenskyy replied: “I’m not happy with this idea.”
This prompted laughter from the US side.
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Overnight, Mr Dmitriev posted on X, saying: “We have started the feasibility study of the Russia-Alaska tunnel six months ago.
“Russian Direct Investment Fund with partners financed on a commercial basis the first ever railroad bridge between Russia and China.
“The bridge reduced cargo route by more than 700 kilometres,” he said.
He directed a post on X towards Elon Musk, suggesting the tunnel could be dug by the billionaire’s construction firm, Boring Company.
Graphic of the proposed project. Pic: Kirill Dmitriev
“The dream of a US-Russia link via the Bering Strait reflects an enduring vision – from the 1904 Siberia-Alaska railway to Russia’s 2007 plan,” Mr Dmitriev wrote.
“RDIF has studied existing proposals, including the US-Canada-Russia-China railroad, and will support the most viable.
“Imagine connecting the US and Russia, the Americas and the Afro-Eurasia with the Putin-Trump Tunnel – a 70-mile link symbolizing unity.”
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“Traditional costs are $65B+, but @boringcompany’s tech could reduce it to future together,” he added.
There has been no public response from Elon Musk.
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