Investigators searching the Patapsco river in Baltimore following the collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge say they have found a body.
Baltimore City Council Member Phylicia Porter told CNN: "We are hearing one body was found."
Teams can be seen inspecting the Singaporean-flagged Deli after it collided with the bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The ship that caused the collapse was also involved in an accident in the port of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016. The Antwerp port authorities said the container ship Dali hit a quay on July 11, 2016, as it tried to exit the North Sea container terminal.
Investigators are still at the scene in BaltimoreGettyThe 948-foot (288.95 m) vessel, as long as three football fields placed end to end, had experienced a momentary loss of propulsion and dropped anchors as part of emergency procedures before impact, its management company, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd reported, according to the Singapore Port Authority.
The Dali, owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, collided with one of the pillars of the bridge, according to manager Synergy. All 22 crew members aboard the Singapore-flagged vessel were accounted for, it said.
President Joe Biden said the US Coast Guard responded quickly to the mayday call and commended the fast action of Maryland transportation officials who shut the bridge before it was struck and "undoubtedly saved lives."
The primary focus continues to be the search and rescue operation, Biden said at the White House. He promised to visit Baltimore, 40 miles (64 km) away, as soon as possible and said he wanted the federal government to pay to rebuild the bridge.
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The remnants of the bridge on top of the vessel
Getty
President Biden said: "I'm directing my team to move heaven and Earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible."
Five vehicles are currently submerged in the river, with six construction workers unaccounted for who had been working on the bridge when it went down.
Maryland authorities are using sonar to search for people who fell into the 47F water as they were working to repair potholes on the 185-foot bridge when it collapsed.
Officials have since said they have spotted five vehicles underwater thanks to infrared and side-scan sonar technology - three passenger vehicles, a cement truck and a fifth vehicle.
A view of the Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge
Reuters
The Port of Baltimore is the busiest US port for car shipments, handling more than 750,000 vehicles in 2022, according to port data.
The closure of one of the US East Coast's major ports threatens to disrupt supplies of goods from cars, to coal and other commodities like sugar.
It could create bottlenecks and increase delays and costs on the Eastern seaboard, experts say. The port handles the most car imports and is among the largest for coal exports.
