Baltimore bridge disaster: NTSB chair says some hazmat containers were breached

There were hazaradous materials on board the ship that ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and some hazmat containers were breached, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said on Wednesday.

"He was able to identify 56 containers of hazardous materials," Homendy said of a NTSB senior hazmat investigator, adding, "that's 764 tons of hazardous materials, mostly corrosives, flammables" as well as "miscellaneous hazardous materials, class nine hazardous materials which," she said, "would include lithium ion batteries. Some of the hazmat containers were breached," she said. Homendy also said that "sheen" has been spotted on the waterway.

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.

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