Biden says government will pay the full cost to replace collapsed Baltimore bridge and insists it was an accident: President vows to 'move heaven and earth' to get one of world's busiest ports reopened after disaster in Maryland

President Joe Biden vowed the federal government will pay to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge and insisted it was an accident.

Biden vowed to move 'heaven and earth' to get one of the world's busiest ports reopened after a ship lost power and destroyed the bridge that spans the Patapsco River, at the mouth of the Baltimore Harbor.  

'We're going to get it up and running again as soon as possible. 15,000 jobs depend on that port. And we're going to do everything we can to protect those jobs,' Biden said in remarks at the White House. 

'I'm directing my team move heaven and Earth three, open the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as possible,' he said. 

Divers were still looking for six construction workers who were fixing potholes on the bridge and are missing. 

'We're going to get it up and running again as soon as possible,' President Joe Biden said 

'It's my intention that federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstruction in that bridge. I expect the Congress to support my effort this is going to take some time. The people of Baltimore can count on us to stick with them at every step of the way,' Biden said.

'We're not leaving until this job gets done,' he added. 

He said he wasn't going to wait for the investigation to see if the ship was at fault to rebuild the bridge.

'We’re not going to wait for that to happen. We’re going to prepay to get the bridge built and reopen,' Biden said. 

Biden was briefed early Tuesday morning by his team on the collapse. He also met with senior staff where he directed all federal resources be made available to assist in the ongoing search and rescue efforts and response to this incident, the White House said. 

'Everything so far indicates that this was a terrible accident. At this time, we have no other indication, no other reason to believe, there's any intentional act here,' the president said.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning following the catastrophic collision, which occurred at about 1.30am. The ship - the Singaporean-flagged Dali - was 20 minutes into its journey when it slammed into a support column on the bridge. 

The Democrat said the ship's crew managed to issue a Mayday before it crashed into the bridge, which allowed officials to stop cars from going on the bridge. 

'We're thankful that between the 'mayday' and collapse that-that we had officials who were able to-to begin the stop the flow of traffic so more cars were not up on the bridge,' Moore said.

Initially, officials feared that drivers were submerged in their cars in the Patapsco River. But the warning from ship give officials enough time to stop traffic at both ends of the bridge. 

The people who blocked traffic 'undoubtedly saved lives,' President Biden said.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said eight people were on the bridge when it collapsed, and two of them were rescued from the water, with one declining medical treatment and the other being taken to the hospital. 

The White House tweeted a photo of President Joe Biden being briefed on the bridge collapse

Baltimore officials are on a race to save up to 20 people who plunged into the Patapsco River after a Singaporean cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge

An injured person was pictured being loaded into an ambulance after getting taken off the ship following the collapse

Astonishing footage shows the moment the vessel plowed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, sending the colossal steel structure crashing into the Patapsco River

The bridge spans 9,000 feet across the Patapsco River and is 180 feet above the water

Maryland authorities are using sonar detection devices to search for the crew members who fell into the 47F water as they were working to repair potholes on the 185-foot bridge when it collapsed.

Officials said they have spotted five vehicles submerged under water thanks to infrared and side-scan sonar technology - three passenger vehicles, a cement truck and a fifth vehicle.

It is believed those vehicles belonged to the construction crew and were parked on the bridge. 

Video shows the ship going dark seconds before the collision, suggesting a power failure on board. The crew of 22 remains onboard and is now being questioned by the Coast Guard. 

The rescue effort incorporates Coast Guard ships, local police boats, Baltimore's Fire Department, volunteer fire departments from the surrounding areas as well as teams of divers as the desperate search for survivors goes on. 

FBI special agent in charge of the Baltimore office William DelBagno said 'there is no specific or credible information to suggest there are ties to terrorism in this incident.' 

The collapse is sure to create a logistical nightmare for months, if not years, for the East Coast, shutting down ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore and snarling cargo and commuter traffic. 

Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning following the catastrophic collision at about 1.30am

An aerial view of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge after the collision

The ship involved is the 948 foot long Dali, a Singaporean-flagged container which could be seen on ship tracking websites positioned stationary under the bridge following the crash.

It left Baltimore's Seagirt Marine Terminal at 12:24am, at 1:25am, is began to slow and diverted off of its course. The video shows lights going off on board just before the crash.

The Dali ship was bound for Colombo, Sri Lanka. It's unclear what cargo it was holding. The vessel was due to land in Asia on April 27. 

According to the ship's owners, all crew members were accounted for with no injuries reported. 

Around 30,000 vehicles use the bridge, which is named for the writer of the Star Spangled Banner, every day. It opened in 1977. 

Biden noted he's traversed it many times.

'I've been over many, many times commuting from the state of Delaware in train and by car,' he said.