National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said her team identified 56 containers of hazardous materials on the vessel that slammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Homendy said some of the hazmat containers were breached and leaking into Baltimore harbor.

Thus, the bridge disaster is turning into an infrastructure and environmental nightmare.

“A senior hazmat investigator with the agency determined that ‘764 tons of hazardous materials’, which includes corrosives, lithium ion batteries and flammables, now threatens the water surrounding the downed bridge,” Chief Nerd cited.

“Some of the containers ‘were breached,’ said Homendy, noting that a sheen of hazardous material could be seen on the waterway. The exact number of breached containers should be available in a preliminary report, which will be ready in two-to-four weeks.”

The Blaze reports:

The ship collided with the bridge on Tuesday, causing it to collapse, leading to multiple deaths.

“We must ease the regulatory burdens of NEPA to get this critical bridge back up as soon as possible. And while we are at it, revise the permitting process for all infrastructure projects and improvements,” GOP Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia said in a tweet.

President Joe Biden, who is currently seeking re-election, has said that it is his “intention” that the federal government will cover the full cost of rebuilding the bridge and that he expects the legislature to support his effort.

WATCH:

From Daily Mail:

During Wednesday evening’s press briefing, Homendy described the scene where the bridge once stood as ‘pretty devastating.’

‘Seeing not just what’s going on with the cargo containers, but just looking at what was a bridge span – three bridge spans that is pretty much gone. It’s just utter devastation,’ she said.

The NTSB has already interviewed the ship’s captain, his mate, the chief engineer, and one other engineer. Tomorrow, the two pilots aboard the ship will be interviewed.

The boat had been piloted by specialized local pilots trained to avoid obstacles at ports.

These specialist pilots depart the ships as soon as they are in open water. It is thought the vessel lost power after it left port, causing it to veer off course and crash into a column supporting the bridge.

Earlier reporting by DailyMail.com suggests that the full crew of the ship could be stuck aboard the vessel as authorities, including the NTSB scramble to collect perishable evidence and samples.

Watch the NTSB Media Briefing HERE:

 

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