US President on Friday flew to Baltimore, Maryland, aboard Marine One to inspect the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that previously spanned the city’s industrial port before it was .
Biden then met with members of the US Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers involved in the in order to allow access in and out of the Port of Baltimore and reopen one of the country’s major shipping lanes.
The president also met with police officers who responded to a distress signal from the ship and rushed to the scene to block traffic, averting more deaths than those of six construction workers killed in the accident. Biden also met with the families of the workers who died.
‘Our hearts are still breaking’
“I’m here to say your nation has your back and I mean it. Your nation has your back,” said Biden as he spoke near the site of the wreckage, “The damage is devastating and our hearts are still breaking.”
“From the air I saw the bridge that has been ripped apart,” he said, “but here on the ground I see a community that’s pulled together.”
In his remarks, Biden also said, “My administration is committed to ensuring that the parties responsible for the Baltimore bridge collapse pay to repair the damage.”
Flanked by state and city officials, Biden promised, “We’re gonna move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible. And we’re going to do so with union labor and American steel.”
Officials say they hope to by May 31, according to the White House.
js/wd (APE, Reuters)
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