Salvage crews work to lift first piece of collapsed Baltimore bridge due to damage done by Singapore vessel

Large cranes are seen in the Patapsco River near the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 29. - PHOTO: REUTERS

BALTIMORE (Reuters): Salvage crews worked to lift the first piece of Baltimore's collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge from the water on Saturday to allow barges and tugboats to access the disaster site, Maryland and US officials said, the first step in a complex effort to reopen the city's blocked port.

The steel truss bridge collapsed early on Tuesday morning, killing six road workers, when a massive container ship lost power and crashed into a support pylon. Much of the span crashed into the Patapsco River, blocking the Port of Baltimore's shipping channel.