Two bodies recovered after Baltimore bridge collapse | First Thing

Four other construction workers who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed this week remain missing and are presumed dead. Plus: the cost of a burrito

Good morning.

The bodies of two men trapped in their vehicle have been recovered from the Patapsco River beneath the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed early on Tuesday when a container ship crashed into it.

What will be the economic impact of the crash? Buttigieg warned of “major and protracted impact to supply chains” after the closure of the Port of Baltimore for the foreseeable future. Baltimore is the ninth busiest port in the US, and the busiest for car shipments, handling at least 750,000 vehicles in 2023. “The economic impact that’s going to be felt by Baltimore and the state of Maryland is incomprehensible,” said Mary Kane, the president and CEO of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce.

Is there more information about the ship, the Dali? On Wednesday, investigators began collecting evidence from the Singaporean-flagged container ship, which had been headed for Sri Lanka. The ship was carrying 56 containers of hazardous materials including corrosives, flammables and lithium ion batteries, and some containers were breached in the crash, leaving a sheen on the water, but authorities deemed the ship stable and to pose no safety risk.

What are lawmakers doing? Lawmakers in Maryland have drafted an emergency bill to cover the salaries of workers who have been affected by the shutdown of the port. Meanwhile, Buttigieg has called for bipartisan support for federal funding to rebuild the bridge and reopen the port.