As rescue operations continue, firefighters in Baltimore City said early in the morning that two of the 20 people who fell into the water had been found alive, and that the number of missing could change.
The water temperature in Baltimore Harbor near the bridge collapse is 4.44 degrees Celsius, which could endanger the lives of people who fall into the water and are not prepared for the sudden changes that will happen to their bodies and to the brain, according to the National Weather Service’s website for information on the safety of cold water.
Meanwhile, the University of Minnesota says that a person who knows how to swim and fails but remains afloat, can withstand water temperatures as cold as 4.44 degrees Celsius for between 30 and 60 minutes, while surviving normal water while floating on its own is between two and three hours.
The search operation for those who fell in the water has been going on for about seven hours since the accident.
