Radio communications from emergency dispatchers detailed the critical moments before a freight ship crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge.
(Radio transmission) "There's a ship approaching that's just lost their steering, so until they get that under control, we gotta stop all traffic".
The dispatchers engaged in a last-minute effort to clear the bridge after the ship reported a loss of propulsion shortly before impact and dropped anchor to slow the vessel.
That gave them time to halt traffic on the bridge before the crash, which authorities said likely saved lives.
(Radio transmission) "Yeah, if we can stop traffic. Just make sure no one is on the bridge right now. I'm not sure where... there's a crew out there, and you might want to notify whoever the foreman and see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily."
The U.S. Coast Guard said it was looking for six construction workers, who are presumed dead after the bridge collapsed.
Rescuers had pulled two other workers from the water alive, one of whom was hospitalized.
Meanwhile, investigators are trying to determine why this collision happened and now have a key piece of evidence: the ship's black box.
The head of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday the data recorder was acquired after boarding the ship late Tuesday.
The disaster forced the forced the indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.
Maryland Governor Wes Moroe said Wednesday it is imperative to get the port reopened.
"So this is not just impacting Maryland, this is impacting that farmer in Kentucky. It's impacting that auto dealer in Michigan, and so it is imperative that we get this bridge rebuilt, it's imperative that we get the Port of Baltimore back up and going, and it's not just about how we're supporting Maryland, this is about how we're supporting the American economy."
Economists say there is ample capacity at nearby ports to deal with the closure.
