Workers set to remove first piece of collapsed US bridge

The complex process of clearing the tangled wreckage of the Baltimore Bridge that collapsed this week was set to begin on Saturday with removal of a first section, officials said. The collapse killed six people and blocked traffic through the busy US port. The Coast Guard Rear Admiral said a huge floating crane was set to move one fallen section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore said it would take days, but teams would eventually open up a temporary restricted channel allowing more tugs, barges and other boats to enter the area to accelerate the clean-up operation. For now, shipping traffic is at a standstill, affecting thousands of shippers, port workers and others, and the thousands of people who normally use the bridge each day have had to find alternative routes.