Six presumed dead

 The collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, near the Port of Baltimore. Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Six presumed dead after a U.S. bridge collapsed

A massive container ship struck a bridge pillar while leaving the Port of Baltimore early in the morning on Tuesday, causing the bridge to plummet into the water below. The Coast Guard last night suspended search efforts for six construction workers who had been fixing potholes on the bridge and were presumed dead.

The ship lost power and issued a mayday call shortly before the collision, giving officials a brief window to keep cars off the 1.6-mile span. Two other workers were rescued from the water, and none of the 24 crew members on the ship were injured.

It is not known why the ship, a nearly 1,000-foot-long cargo vessel called the Dali that was bound for Sri Lanka, hit the bridge. But an inspection last year showed that the vessel had a deficiency related to “propulsion and auxiliary machinery.”

Maryland’s governor said that the collision was a terrible accident and that there was no credible evidence of a terrorist attack. The collapse will indefinitely close a port that’s first in the U.S. for deliveries of autos and light trucks.