Baltimore Key Bridge disaster: Volunteers rally as authorities race to find survivors

BALTIMORE, Md. - Hours after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland Governor Wes Moore said search and rescue crews were still actively looking for survivors. 

"This is very much a search and rescue mission," Moore said at a press conference held at the Maryland Transportation Authority Police headquarters in Dundalk, Maryland. 

Moore added that air, land, and sea resources will be deployed to ensure the rescue operation is "panned out to its full intent."

What agencies are searching for people in the Patapsco River? 

Several federal and state agencies are involved in the search for survivors on the Patapsco River. 

The National Transportation Safety Board said the FBI's Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team, the Maryland State Police Department, Baltimore County Fire and Rescue, the Baltimore City Fire Department, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the U.S. Coast Guard have members looking for people. 

According to the NTSB, the Coast Guard is taking the lead, and they've had several units out on the water since around 4 a.m. They suspended their search efforts at 7:30 p.m., but said they will continue to look for the six missing workers starting at 6:00 a.m. Wednesday. 

"Based on the length of time that we've gone in the search, the extensive search efforts that we put into it, the water temperature at this point, we do not believe that we will find any of these individuals still alive," announced Shannon Gilreath, commander of the 5th Coast Guard District.

Maryland State Police shared via X around 11 a.m. that they "remain committed to providing rescue personnel, and equipment to assist our partners during this catastrophic and unprecedented event." 

The Baltimore District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has also activated its Emergency Operations Center, which will allow more than 1,100 engineering, construction, contracting, and operations specialists to provide support to local, state, and federal agencies.

"Our thoughts are with those impacted by the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge," said Baltimore District Commander Col. Estee Pinchasin. "Our Emergency Managers are closely monitoring the incident and coordinating with partner agencies for any potential support requests."

FOX 5 spoke to Greg Currence, a construction worker, who felt compelled to come to the river and help. 

"When I heard the news this morning, and I saw that video for the first time around 5:30 a.m., I was down at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, and I called my branch head and said, ‘I got to respond, come up and just be here for the community, for the first responders,'" Currence said. "All my pastors at the church, we’re all pulling together. We know we have 1,300 volunteers ready to go … Between us, networking with other churches in the area, we'll be here for the families and all the first responders to help, just be available and do what we can." 

"It's going to be a long road," he continued. "Today is intense for sure, but this is going to have a ripple effect for months to come." 

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Angela Broadus, the outreach associate pastor at Union Baptist Church in Baltimore, also rushed to the scene. 

"We got 300 Chic-fil-A sandwiches, chips, cookies, salads, drinks, and we just went out there to love on them and to show our support, and to show them that we are here and to show them the love and hope of Christ as they are working tirelessly around the clock to do the work, reach the people who've been impacted and touch their families as well," Broadus said. 

How many people have been rescued after the bridge collapsed? 

So far, Brawner Builders has told the Associated Press that six of its employees are presumed dead. Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said two people had been rescued following the collapse; one was hospitalized and one was not. Officials believe at least six others are still in the water. All eight were part of a construction crew that was filling potholes along the Francis Scott Key Bridge. 

The bridge crumbled after it was struck by a large container ship early Tuesday morning, sending construction workers and vehicles plunging into the frigid water below. 

The collapse happened around 1:30 a.m. when the large cargo vessel Dali hit one of the bridge's support columns. The collision caused the span to buckle and tumble into the water in just a matter of seconds.

The effort to claim the victims continues and the investigation into what happened early Tuesday morning is ongoing. 

FOX 5's Bob Barnard contributed to this report. 

This is a developing story. Check back with FOX 5 for updates.