Baltimore bridge salvage crews begin removing containers from cargo ship
The salvage operation of the Baltimore Bridge continues as crews have started removing containers from the deck of the Dali cargo ship.
Last month, the ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Video captured the moment the huge ship hit the bridge support, causing the entire thing to collapse.
Bodies of three of the six roadway workers who were on the bridge when it collapsed have been recovered, and the other three are presumed dead.
Salvage crews started to remove containers from the deck of the cargo ship on Sunday, with the hope of progressing towards removing parts of the bridge that lie across the ship’s bow.
In a statement Key Bridge Response Unified Command said: “Salvors removed containers from the M/V Dali as part of the effort to gain access to the portion of the Key Bridge that lies atop the ship. The transfer of containers from the M/V Dali will continue in the coming days, as weather permits.”
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The moment the bridge collapsed last month.
Workers dismantling parts of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge using an exothermic cutting torch. Pic: AP
This was described as a “critical step” in the salvage operation as it would allow the safe removal of the remains of the bridge – and eventual clearing of the waterway.
Since 26 March, only 32 vessels have been able to pass through temporary channels on either side of the wreckage, officials said.
US Coast Guard Captain David O’Connell said: “The Unified Command is concurrently progressing on its main lines of effort to remove enough debris to open the channel to larger commercial traffic.”
Part of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge stand. Pic: AP
The wreckage of the bridge has been stuck across the ship in the weeks since the incident. Pic: AP
The ship has remained trapped under the steel remains of the bridge along the Patapsco River since the incident.
More than 50 divers and 12 cranes are working on site to help cut out sections of the collapsed bridge and remove them.
Eight workers, who were immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, were filling potholes on the bridge when it was hit in the middle of the night.
Two men were rescued and the bodies of three others were recovered in the following days.
The search for the other victims continues.
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The salvage operation has begun as authorities began clearing containers from the ship. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Officials have established a temporary channel for vessels involved in clearing debris.
The White House said the intention is to open a limited-access channel for barge container ships, and some vessels moving cars and farm equipment by the end of April.
It is hoped that normal capacity will be restored to Baltimore’s port by the end of May.
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President Biden recently toured the area, and saw first-hand efforts to clear away the remains of the bridge.
Mr Biden also greeted police officers who helped block traffic to the bridge in the moments before it was hit by the ship, and spoke to families of the victims.
He also vowed that the state of Maryland wouldn’t be left alone, saying: “I’m here to say your nation has your back and I mean it. Your nation has your back.”
Former US president Joe Biden has prostate cancer, his office has said.
The statement said Mr Biden, who left the White House in January, is reviewing options for treatment with his physicians.
It read: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
File pic: Reuters
According to Cancer Research UK, a Gleason score of 9 means the cancerous cells “look very abnormal” and the disease is “likely to grow quickly”.
A source familiar with Mr Biden and his family’s thinking has told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that the former president is considering “multiple treatment options” – including hormone treatment for the cancer.
They added he is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and that as of now, it is unclear where the former president will be treated.
Mr Biden, 82, was the oldest person to ever serve as president, with concerns about his health raised regularly during his campaign for re-election last year.
After a poor debate against Donald Trump in June, he withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris.
In February 2023, he had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.
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A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.
The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.
Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.
The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.
Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.
Pic: AP
The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.
The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.
Pic: AP
Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.
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One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.
The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.
The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.
Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.
The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.
“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”
It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.
“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.
The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.
“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).
A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.
The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.
Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.
Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”
Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.
California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.
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