Bridge collapse:

The entire US economy could suffer

On Tuesday night, a container ship rammed into the four-lane, more than 2.5-kilometer-long Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US state of Maryland, causing it to collapse.(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

According to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the tragic collapse of the highway bridge in Baltimore will also have economic consequences. Due to the importance of the port behind it, supply chain problems are already being prepared for "which we know will happen", Buttigieg admitted at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon (local time). These would then affect not only the Baltimore region, "but the entire US economy".

Following the incident, the responsible port authority suspended shipping traffic until further notice. According to Buttigieg, the main part of the port lies behind the collapsed bridge. According to US President Joe Biden, it is one of the most important maritime ports of call in the USA - especially for the import and export of cars and small trucks. Around 850,000 vehicles are shipped through the port of Baltimore every year. Around 15,000 jobs depend on this.

The bridge is also an important traffic artery on the east coast of the USA. According to Biden, around 30,000 vehicles crossed it every day before the accident.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Kent Nishimura)

Container ship rammed into bridge
On Tuesday night, a container ship rammed into the four-lane, more than 2.5-kilometer-long Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US state of Maryland, causing it to collapse. After two people were initially rescued, the search for six missing people continued from the air and on the water on Tuesday.

"Cathedral of American infrastructure"
 Buttigieg expressed his condolences to the relatives on Tuesday and praised the work of the rescue teams. He described the bridge as a "cathedral of American infrastructure". The reconstruction will take a long time, he said. "It won't be quick, it won't be cheap, but we will rebuild together."

When asked whether Americans need to worry about the stability of the country's bridges, Buttigieg replied: "I don't know of any bridge that can withstand the direct impact of a ship of this size." However, the right conclusions must be drawn from the accident and lessons learned.