Video footage showed lights going out on the Singapore-flagged Dali before it hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which crumpled along its length and collapsed into the water.
The Maryland governor, Wes Moore, said a greater tragedy had been averted as a mayday call had allowed authorities to stop vehicle traffic before the vessel hit one of the bridge's supports, but rescuers were still searching for six members of a road repair crew who had been repairing potholes on the bridge.
Biden said: "It's my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge and I expect the Congress to support my effort." Asked why the government should pay and not Grace Ocean, the owners of the Singapore-registered ship, Biden said: "That could be, but we're not going to wait for that to happen.
We're going to pay for it to get the bridge rebuilt and opened." Moore said yesterday that the bridge, which was built in 1977, was "fully up to code" when it was struck by the cargo ship.
Biden first addressed the bridge collapse in a public briefing yesterday, saying that all indications were that it had been a "terrible accident" rather than an "intentional act".
The president also said he was thinking of those who remained unaccounted for amid the search and rescue efforts around the bridge.
"We're with you. We're going to stay with you as long as it takes," said Biden, adding that he intended to travel to Baltimore as soon as possible. "You're Maryland tough.
You're Baltimore strong." The collapse of the bridge will cast a spotlight on the vulnerabilities in US infrastructure, and rebuilding it is likely to be a hugely costly and challenging project in what is an election year.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 27, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 27, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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