Baltimore mayor calls bridge collapse an 'unthinkable tragedy' as city looks to rebuild

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge a "devastating tragedy" on Wednesday morning, pledging support for the families of the victims presumed dead.

"This is an unthinkable tragedy," Scott said. "And when you think about those families, when you think about those workers who were simply trying to improve transit for the rest of us, losing your life in this way is nothing short of a tragedy."

The bridge collapsed into the water when a cargo ship rammed into it, leading to eight victims going missing – two of which were rescued Tuesday morning. The six people still missing have been presumed dead, the Coast Guard announced Tuesday evening, as they shifted the 18-hour search-and-rescue operation to a recovery effort.

The six missing people, all road maintenance workers, are believed to have been on the bridge fixing potholes at the time of the collapse.

Scott said Baltimore's government will provide financial support to the families of the victims and help them facilitate trauma and mental health services.

"This is something that they're going to be trying to heal and come back from for the rest of their lives," he said. "This is not something that's ever going to go away."

Scott also stressed the critical nature of the bridge within the national economy, saying the collapse will "tremendously impact not just Baltimore and Maryland, but the entire supply chain."

Baltimore is the ninth largest port by trade volume in the U.S. and the #1 port for automobiles.

He said the city is focused on recovering the bodies of the victims to provide "a sense of closure" for the families before working to to reopen the channel and rebuild the bridge in collaboration with state and federal officials.

"Baltimore is always going to come back stronger – we've heard it from President Biden, himself. We will all see this through, but this is going to be a long-term issue, and we will never forget what happened," he said.

President Biden said the federal government will “move heaven and earth” to rebuild the bridge, though estimates on construction time have ranged from months to up to a year.