This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the Baltimore bridge collapse, you can read our coverage here.
Buttigieg has declined to comment on the direct investigation being led by the US Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board.
“I will respect their independence and not comment on that work,” Buttigieg said of the investigation, adding that he has engaged with those officials at the accident site.
Buttigieg emphasized that the work ahead involves re-opening the bridge as well as managing local and national economic impacts.
At the top of his remarks, Buttigieg shared his condolences with the families who have lost loved ones in the Key Bridge accident.
“Tragically, six people did lose their lives and a seventh was badly injured,” Buttigieg said.
“These were workers who went out to work on a night shift, repairing the road service while most of us slept,” he added.
The White House press briefing featuring Pete Buttigieg and a US Coast Guard representative has just begun.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gave a brief update at the top of the conference:
“Our hearts go out to the families of the six individuals still missing after yesterday’s bridge collapse in Maryland … operations have shifted from a search-and-rescue operation to recovery efforts,” Jean-Pierre said.
President Biden has been briefed on the collapse, Jean-Pierre said, adding that he has pledged to “move heaven and earth to aid in the emergency response and help rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible”.
The brother of a missing construction worker who was on the collapsed Key Bridge told CNN en Español that he was still hopeful that his brother would be found.
Carlos Suazo Sandoval told the network that his brother, 38-year-old Maynor Suazo Sandoval, was applying asphalt when the bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning.
Maynor, who is a Honduran national, is one of six people still unaccounted for.
“We still have faith until this moment, God grant the miracle, it would be beautiful,” Carlos said to CNN on Wednesday.
Carlos added that his family is still processing the tragic accident and has not informed Maynor’s 72-year-old mother, who is in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg and a representative of the US Coast Guard are set to speak at the White House press briefing scheduled for 1.00pm.
A livestream of the press conference is available at the top of this blog.
Stay tuned for updates!
Singapore officials announced on Wednesday that they will lead their own investigation into the Key Bridge collapse, Associated Press reported.
The Dali ship, which crashed into the bridge on Tuesday, was a Singapore-flagged ship traveling to Sri Lanka.
Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau will independently investigate the accident.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said it will also assist the US Coast Guard with its investigation and is working with the ship’s management company to get additional information.
An inspection of the Dali ship last year turned up a problem with the fuel heater’s pressure gauges, according to the maritime authority of the Chilean navy.
The problem was corrected before the ship left the Chilean port, AP reported, citing the Chilean navy.
Previous reports had indicated the June inspection of the vessel in Chile identified a problem with the ship’s “propulsion and auxiliary machinery”, it said.
No divers have entered the water at the scene of the wreckage of the collapsed bridge yet, according to officials.
Supervisory special agent Brian Hudson, the program manager for the FBI’s underwater search and evidence response team told NBC News:
The debris field is pretty sizable and I know that’s why they’re hesitant to send divers down because some of the debris is still shifting, the heavy weight of the rocks … It’s dark, so we’re not getting great camera footage from our ROV footage, but the sonar still shows up very well.
He added that the team has marked some “interesting targets” but it is not clear when divers will be able to enter the water.
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Brian Hudson explains to @LlamasNBC the challenge ahead for divers after the Dali hit the Key Bridge in Baltimore.
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) March 27, 2024
"No the divers won’t be able to see anything. They’re going to work by feel with their hands" and using sonar technology.
More… pic.twitter.com/xuemmzgOgO
An investigation into the bridge collapse will include whether “dirty fuel” played a role in the giant cargo vessel losing power and crashing into the span, according to a report.
The Dali ship appeared to have suffered a total power failure as all its lights went out in the early hours on Tuesday. About a minute later, the ship’s lights flickered back on, before going dark again.
One reason for the blackout is contaminated fuel that can create problems with the ship’s main power generators, according to a naval architect.
A complete blackout could result in a ship losing propulsion, Fotis Pagoulatos told the Wall Street Journal.
National transportation safety board chair Jennifer Homendy said her team of investigators will look into the suggestion that contaminated fuel may have played a role in the crash.
Maryland’s governor, Wes Moore, said it was “imperative” to get the port of Baltimore up and running as quickly as possible, saying its closure would have an economic impact on everyone from car dealers to farmers.
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is disrupting a vital shipping port which Moore said was responsible for 51m tonnes of foreign cargo.