By James FitzGerald
Residents had voiced concern about water safety and the possibility of leaks after last week's collision. Photo: Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images via AFP
There is no sign of contamination of Baltimore's Patapsco River after a ship hit a major bridge and brought the structure crashing down, officials say.
The ship was carrying hundreds of tonnes of hazardous materials when it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Six people died in the disaster.
Residents had voiced concern about water safety after last week's incident, which is being investigated.
The vessel remains trapped under the bridge and the cleanup is ongoing.
Concerns stemmed from the fact that 56 containers with 764 tonnes of hazardous materials were on board the Dali at the time it struck the bridge, according to officials.
Some of the containers were damaged.
But no contaminants have been found in the water, Maryland officials say, after samples were taken both up- and down-river.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said he had been contacted by locals concerned about the risks to both people and wildlife.
"Folks have been tagging on social media videos about not being able to eat crabs this summer and it's going to be all of these things in the water," the mayor said, as quoted by CBS News.
"You heard it from the governor, you heard it from our MDE (Maryland Department of the Environment) folks, there is no contamination in the water."
Eight construction workers were repairing potholes on the bridge when container ship Dali veered into one of its columns on 26 March, collapsing most of the structure.
Two of them were rescued and the bodies of two others have been recovered. The search for the remaining four - who are presumed dead - has been put on hold due to the challenges posed by debris.
Those involved in the complex clean-up mission have been cutting debris from the bridge into smaller pieces that can be removed and taken to a disposal site.
Shipments are suspended at the port, which is one of the busiest in the US, although a temporary route for "commercially essential" vessels has now opened near the collapsed bridge.
The Port of Baltimore is a key economic generator for the state of Maryland and a vital artery for imports and exports of US and global trade.
Experts say it could take a month before it reopens, and years to rebuild the bridge. It is thought an investigation into last week's incident may take years.
The Dali container vessel - which is nearly as long as the Eiffel Tower - remains on the water. Its 21 member crew, Indian nationals and one Sri Lankan, are still aboard.
It remains unclear when they will be allowed off the stranded ship.
- This story was first published by BBC
