BALTIMORE -- As divers assisted crews with the complicated and meticulous operation of removing the steel and concrete from the fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, some near the site took time on Easter Sunday to reflect on the six workers presumed to have plunged to their deaths.
As cranes periodically swung into place and workers measured and cut the steel to prepare to lift sections of twisted steel, Rev. Ako Walker held a Mass in Spanish at Sacred Heart of Jesus, about 5 miles up the Patapsco River from the collapse.
"Yes we can rebuild a bridge, but we have to look at the way in which migrant workers are treated and how best we can improve their situation as they come to the United States of America," Walker said of the men who were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador and were patching potholes.
Dive teams were in the river Sunday surveying parts of the bridge underwater and checking on the ship to ensure it can be safely floated away once the wreckage is lifted. Workers in lifts used torches earlier to cut parts of the twisted steel superstructure above water.
The bridge fell early Tuesday as the crew of the cargo ship Dali lost power and control. They called in a mayday, which allowed just enough time for police to stop vehicles from getting on the bridge, but not enough time to get a crew of eight workers off the structure.
Two workers survived, two bodies were found in a submerged pickup and four more men are presumed dead. Weather conditions and the tangled debris underwater have made it too dangerous for divers to search for their bodies.
Each part of the bridge removed from the water will be lifted onto a barge and floated downstream to the Tradepoint Atlantic logistics center, where it will be inspected, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said.
Everything the salvage crews do affects what happens next and ultimately how long it will take to remove all the debris and reopen the ship channel and the blocked Port of Baltimore, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
It can also alter the course of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation, which Moore said is important to ensure this doesn't happen again.
"We need to have answers on what happened. We need to know who should be accountable for this. And we need to make sure we're holding them accountable," Moore said Sunday on CNN.
The crew of the Dali, which is as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall, remains onboard the ship. The vessel is tangled in 3,000 to 4,000 tons of debris. Most of its containers remain intact, but some were torn open or knocked away by the falling debris.
The Dali is managed by Synergy Marine Group and owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. Danish shipping giant Maersk charted Dali, which was on its way out of port when it hit the bridge's support column.
Along with clearing the shipping channel to reopen the port, officials are trying to figure out how to rebuild the major bridge, which was completed in 1977 and carried Interstate 695 around southeast Baltimore and was a vital link to the city's centuries of maritime culture.
It took five years to build the original bridge. President Joe Biden's administration has promised to pay the full cost to rebuild, and state and federal transportation officials said they will work as quickly as possible.
Information for this article was contributed by Sarah Brumfield, Kristin M. Hall, Adrian Sainz and Lisa Baumann of The Associated Press.
Father Ako Walker leads Easter Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Patrick, Sunday, March 31, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
The collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge rests in the Patapsco River, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Father Ako Walker leads Easter Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Patrick, Sunday, March 31, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Sparks fly as workers start to remove a section of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
A crane stands by at Tradepoint Atlantic terminal near the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Cranes stand by as the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Cranes stand by as the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Cranes stand by as the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
This satellite image provided by Planet Labs shows the container ship Dali lodged against the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. (Planet Labs via AP)