Workers remove first chunk of destroyed Baltimore bridge

AFP | Beijing, China

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Workers have lifted out the first, 200- ton chunk of Baltimore's collapsed bridge, officials said Sunday, as efforts get underway to clear the harbor of the steel structure destroyed by an out-ofcontrol ship.

Demolition crews using blow torches sliced through the upper part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which crumbled when the Dali cargo vessel lost power and struck it on Tuesday, killing six people.

Authorities hope that removing the bridge -- by cutting it into smaller sections and lifting them out -- will help rescuers recover all the victims' bodies as well as reopen the crucial shipping lane.

"The first lift was made last night after the cutting of the top portion of one of the northern sections of the Key Bridge was completed," said US Coast Guard spokeswoman Kimberly Reaves in a statement.