Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez was one of six construction workers killed when a container ship collided with bridge in March The body of a fifth victim in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, has been recovered. Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez was identified as the victim, per Unified Command salvage teams. The group, which is a joint effort by police, the coast guard and other government agencies, had reported one of their construction vehicles missing when the bridge collapsed in March and notified the Maryland department of state police, per ABC News ..read more

Dazhon Darien arrested over fake recording of principal complaining about students and faculty members A high school athletics director suspected of using artificial intelligence to create a fake, racist recording of a principal in Baltimore has been arrested by police. Police arrested 31-year-old Dazhon Darien of Pikesville high school on Thursday after an investigation into an AI-generated recording which featured the duplicated voice of the school’s principal, Eric Eiswert. Officers allege that Eiswert was investigating Darien in connection with the potential mishandling of school funds whe ..read more

Bulk carrier uses deep-water channel en route to Canada marking important step in recovery efforts after last month’s disaster The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, killing a work crew and halting most maritime traffic through the city’s port. The Balsa 94, a bulk carrier sailing under a Panama flag, passed through the new 35ft channel headed for Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, on Thursday. Two more commercial ships followed later, including a vehicle car ..read more

Baltimore has sued operator and owner of the Dali container ship, saying it had ‘an incompetent crew’ and ignored warnings The city of Baltimore has sued the owner and operator of the Dali container ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month, saying it had “an incompetent crew” and set sail despite receiving warnings. According to a court document filed on Monday, city officials say the ship’s parent company, Grace Ocean Private Ltd, and its operator, Synergy Marine Group, were “potentially criminally negligent” after causing the bridge to collapse on 26 March ..read more

Biden visits site of disaster as body of Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, one of six workers killed, is delivered to family A third body has been recovered after six construction workers were killed when a cargo ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, authorities said on Friday. The body of Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, 38, was found just hours before Joe Biden arrived to get a first-hand look at efforts to clear away the debris. The Baltimore mayor, Brandon Scott, expressed his gratitude to the first responders while sending condolences to the workers’ families. “This evening the Uni ..read more

President tours site on Friday, as cranes, ships and divers work to reopen port where up to $200m in cargo moves each day US politics – latest updates The port of Baltimore could be partially open again by the end of the month as the US military and partners push to clear the collapsed bridge that blocked the main shipping channel after being rammed by a cargo vessel, and Joe Biden toured the disaster site on Friday. After getting a firsthand look at efforts to clear away the hulking remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, the US president reiterated his calls for Con ..read more

This live blog is now closed. For more on Biden’s visit to the site of the Baltimore bridge collapse, you can read our story here. The Biden administration will try again to implement a large-scale student debt relief plan, a year after a previous attempt was blocked by the supreme court’s conservative justices, the Wall Street Journal reports. The plan, which Joe Biden will announce on Monday during a visit to swing state Wisconsin, comes as opinion polls show the president struggling to maintain support among younger voters ahead of his expected November election rematch against Donald Trump ..read more

Crew starts intricate removal work on Francis Scott Key Bridge as officials stress that health of US national economy depends on it Crews of engineers have begun the dangerous and intricate job of removing the mangled wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge from the Patapsco River outside Baltimore, as top federal government and Maryland state officials stressed Sunday that the health of the US national economy depended on it. Officials took to the political talkshows Sunday to praise the emergency teams that have now amassed in the Patapsco and have started the delicate process of cutting an ..read more

Responders have currently found ‘no immediate threat’, but 14 of at least 56 containers carrying contaminants were destroyed As authorities clean up the wreckage left behind by Tuesday’s deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, they are also looking for signs of potential environmental contamination. Responders have currently found “no immediate threat to the environment”. But for environmental experts, concerns still loom ..read more

Residents of the ‘blue-collar melting pot’ are donating meals and ‘stand ready’ to help with recovery – but what will it entail? Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge took five years to build and then became an artery on which the blue-collar American city relied for nearly 50 years. But it was gone within a few seconds when a huge cargo ship exiting the city’s port struck it on Tuesday, toppling the landmark and sending at least eight workers plummeting into the frigid waters below. Across Baltimore, as well as the US and the rest of the world, people reacted with shock and horror to videos of ..read more