Maryland Gov. Wes Moore had a “pretty remarkable conversation” with one of the survivors of theBaltimore bridge collapse, he told CNN Tuesday.
Inan interviewwith CNN’s Phil Mattingly, Moore, 45, gave an update regarding one of the individuals who was safely recovered after a vessel struck the Francis Key Scott Bridge earlier that day around 1:30 a.m. local time.
“It was a pretty remarkable conversation,” Moore said of his phone call with the survivor, whose identity he did not share.
According to Moore, the individual said it was “But for the grace of God that he was there.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Francis Scott Key Bridge press conference.AP Photo/Matt Rourke
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Moore stated that both he and Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller had the opportunity to speak with the survivor.
“It really is pretty miraculous when you consider what happened and the speed and the intensity at which it happened last night,” he told CNN.
cargo ship crashes into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024.Rob Carr/Getty
Rob Carr/Getty
Mattingly then asked Moore if, given how fast the container ship had been traveling, the workers had a chance to see it coming before it struck the Francis Key Scott Bridge.
“The individual actually shared with me that he did see the ship — that it was coming,” Moore said.
The governor also added thatthe “brave” workerswho regularly operate in “challenging conditions” see ships coming “every night.”
Francis Scott Key Bridge.Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
“That was a normal routine,” Moore said. “But when you see the size, the enormity of that kind of vessel, coming at the speed that it was at, and even the slightest adjustments that you saw here means the difference between a successful passage and catastrophe. And unfortunately, what we saw last night was a catastrophe.”
He added that it would be “a long journey” to recovery.
Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024.Tasos Katopodis/Getty
Tasos Katopodis/Getty
Earlier in the interview, Moore confirmed that there were “eight individuals who we knew were directly impacted.” He shared that in addition to the survivor he spoke with, another person was receiving treatment for their injuries,the remaining six “are unaccounted for.”
During a press conference Tuesday evening, officials said the search was beingcalled off at 7:30 p.m. ET due to weather and water conditionsand that the six others on the bridge at the time of the collapsewere presumed dead.
“I’d like to announce tonight that based on the length of time that we’ve gone on this search, the extensive search efforts that we’ve put into it, the water temperature, at this point we do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive,” U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon N. Gilreath said.
During a press conference early Tuesday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called the incident “an unthinkable and unspeakable tragedy.”
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Search teams continue working toverify the numbersof how many cars and people were on the bridge during the collapse, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendypreviously said.
source: people.com
