Baltimore Key Bridge latest news: Two fathers are first to be named as crew of six who are now feared dead after bridge collapsed while they were working on it

Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNN that he did not have an estimated time when the Patapsco River channel might reopen.

He said: 'Not only do we need to get those ships in, there are some ships that are already in there that can’t get out. So, it’s very important to get that channel open.

'This is not going to be a simple thing. You’ve got the bridge, the wreckage of the bridge, (and) we don’t know about the conditions of the pier.'

Jesus Campos, who has worked on the bridge for Brawner Builders and knows members of the crew, said he was told they were on a break and some were sitting in their trucks.

'I know that a month ago, I was there, and I know what it feels like when the trailers pass,' Campos said. 'Imagine knowing that is falling. It is so hard. One would not know what to do.'

Crew of the stricken cargo ship that crashed into a Baltimore bridge Tuesday morning could be stuck on board for up to two weeks as authorities scramble to clear the wreckage, DailyMail.com can reveal.

The director of a local mariners' charity said he feared they could be stranded on board for up to two weeks after part of the bridge collapsed onto the back of the vessel. He added that the crew would likely not be able to leave their ship until the debris had been cleared.

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Miguel Luna, 49, was on the graveyard shift with the rest of his Hispanic crew when the Dali ship lost propulsion and caused the collapse of the iconic Francis Scott Key bridge. Luna, a father of six, is now presumed dead.

'They only tell us that we have to wait, that for now, they can't give us information. [We feel] devastated, devastated because our heart is broken, because we don't know if they've rescued them yet. We're just waiting to hear any news,' his wife, Maria del Carmen Castellon (pictured with her husband below) told Telemundo 44.

One of the missing construction workers feared dead has been named Maynor Suazo, 37, a native of Honduras.

Suazo, a father of an 18-year-old boy and five-year-old girl, had been living in the US for the past 18 years.

In an interview with CNN, his brother Martin said Suazo came to the US for a better life and said that he had also started his own maintenance company.

Engineers have blamed the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key bridge on a design flaw that is present in tens of thousands of US bridges.

Several experts told DailyMail.com that the Maryland bridge was missing critical protection systems that would have stopped the the nearly 105,000 ton container ship from smashing into the bridge's support.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge was built in 1977 and anti-collision devices like fenders or protection cells were not introduced until the 1980s.

Experts said installing fenders would cost at least $3 million, but the collapse means a $15 million per day loss in economic activity and $1.5 million daily in state and local taxes - and that doesn't include the six men who are presumed dead.

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The collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge will 'severely disrupt' the operations at the Port of Baltimore, an expert has said.

Tinglong Dai, Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, told DailyMail.com: 'It will severely disrupt the operations of the Port of Baltimore, a critical component of Maryland's transportation network, and it will have a huge impact on the local economy, at least in the short term.'

He added: '[The port] plays a central role in the U.S. automotive supply chain as the largest auto import/export port in the U.S.

'The economic ecosystem and local economy that has been built around the Port of Baltimore will be severally impacted. In the short term, many, if not all, automakers will seek alternative ports and reroute their future shipments.'

Two of the six construction crew members, thrown into the frigid waters of the Patapsco River when a container ship collided with the bridge they were working on, have been named.

Miguel Luna, 49, was on the graveyard shift with the rest of his Hispanic crew when the Dali ship lost propulsion and caused the collapse of the iconic Francis Scott Key bridge. Luna, a father of six, is now presumed dead.

A second man, Maynor Suazo, 37, a native of Honduras was identified in his homeland as another worker who is missing and presumed to be dead. Suazo, a father of two, had been living in the US for the past 18 years.

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Welcome to DailyMail.com's liveblog, where we will bring you all the latest news and updates following the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore.