Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott remained calm when asked by a reporter how long it would take to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge as rescue efforts continued to save those still in the water.
Scott, 39, answered questions along with other Baltimore officials around 6:30 a.m., five hours after the container ship Dali collided with the iconic bridge, completely destroying it.
Several people were thrown into the frigid waters as a result of the collision. Among those still missing are members of the construction team who were working on the bridge at the time.
Toward the end of the press conference, Scott was asked about the rebuild.
‘The discussion now should be about the people, the souls, the lives we are trying to save. There will be a time to discuss a bridge and how to get it back up, but right now there are people in the water that we have to get out,” he responded.
Interestingly, after the interaction went viral, the mayor retweeted a message that read, “I know @MayorBMScott wanted to attack this reporter.” Another tweeter noted that “Mayor Brandon Scott seems to have matured.”
Interestingly, Mayor Scott retweeted a message in which someone commented how the Democrat wanted to “get mad at this reporter.”
“There will be a time to discuss a bridge and how to get it back up, but right now there are people in the water that we have to get out,” Scott said in response to the reporter.
Rescue teams continue to work tirelessly to find victims who may still be alive after the collapse.
Rescuers pulled two people from the water mid-morning and searched for more. One was uninjured and the other was injured, authorities said.
While another said: “It’s a question that needs answering at some point, but the mayor’s answer was spot on.” There are still people missing…’
It’s still unclear why the freighter crashed into the Key Bridge long before the morning commute, or how many people might be in the busy harbor waters near a key port.
There have been numerous reports that have noted a loss of propulsion or power on board just before the collision.
Rescuers pulled two people from the water mid-morning and searched for more. One was uninjured and the other was injured, authorities said.
One official called it an “unfolding event with many casualties.”
The ship crashed into one of the bridge supports, causing the structure to break like a toy.
He fell into the water almost instantly, a shocking sight that was captured on video and posted on social media. The ship caught fire and thick black smoke came out of it.
‘You would never think you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge collapse like that. “It seemed like something out of an action movie,” Mayor Scott previously said, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy.”
The collapse will almost certainly create a logistical nightmare for months, if not years, along the East Coast, shutting down ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore and snarling cargo and passenger traffic.
“The loss of this bridge will devastate the entire area, as well as the entire East Coast,” said State Senator Johnny Ray Salling.
Highway signs as far south as Virginia warned drivers of delays associated with the bridge closure.
Fire Chief James Wallace said authorities “may be looking for more than seven people,” but he said that number could change.
Other officials declined to give figures. It was unclear whether the two people who were reported rescued were included among the seven cited by the fire chief.
Authorities said a crew of unknown size was working on the bridge at the time of the collapse and that sonar had detected cars in the water, which is about 50 feet deep.
The water temperature was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit before dawn Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Scott poses for a photo during the 2021 Preakness horse racing festival
President Joe Biden is greeted by Scott at an event in 2021
Scott effectively won the Baltimore mayoral election in June 2020 when he secured the Democratic nomination for the office. In the city, Democrats outnumber Republicans ten to one.
He ran a campaign focused on youthful energy, progressive ideas and experience. Scott pledged to address longstanding challenges in the city, such as gun violence and substance abuse.
Scott has been a city councilman since 2011 and became council president in 2019. He emerged victorious from a field that included more than 20 Democrats, including current Mayor Bernard C. ‘Jack’ Young and former Mayor Sheila Dixon.
At 36, Scott was the youngest of the Democratic mayoral favorites. He was once advised by the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings and was nominated for lieutenant governor in 2018 by an unsuccessful candidate.
The Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and was flying under the flag of Singapore, according to data from Marine Traffic.
The container ship measures about 300 meters (985 feet) long and about 157 feet wide, according to the website.
Hours before the collision, Mayor Scott delivered his State of the City address in which he reiterated plans to address crime and homelessness, as well as the need to clean up the Baltimore Harbor.
Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said he was working to get federal resources deployed. The FBI was at the scene but said there was no credible information suggesting terrorism. President Joe Biden was informed.
Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered the ship. There were no crew or Maersk personnel on board. The collapse caused Maersk shares on the Nasdaq Copenhagen to fall two percent in early trading on Tuesday.
Last year, the Port of Baltimore handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion, according to the state. In addition to cargo, more than 444,000 passengers left the port in 2023.