6 Presumed Dead After Baltimore Bridge Collapse

The Francis Scott Key Bridge bridge was struck by a cargo ship in the early morning hours of Tuesday

Six people are presumed dead after the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River in the early hours of Tuesday morning, sending those on the bridge into the water. The collapse was quickly deemed a "mass casualty" incident.

In a press conference streamed by WBAL-TV on Tuesday night, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon N. Gilreath believes that the missing six individuals will not be found alive.

"I'd like to announce tonight that based on the length of time that we've gone on this search, the extensive search efforts that we've put into it, the water temperature, at this point, we do not believe that we're going to find any of these individuals still alive," said Gilreath.

Related: Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse in Maryland: Live Updates About the Incident in Baltimore

Emphasizing that the U.S. Coast Guard is "not going away," he added, "We're just going to transition to a different phase." Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., Maryland State Police secretary, added that their mission has turned into a "recovery operation."

Horrifying footage of the incident shows the ship colliding with one of the bridge's large pillars, causing the structure to crumble.

At a press conference Tuesday morning, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said eight workers were repairing potholes on the bridge when it collapsed.

Baltimore Fire Department Chief James Wallace said two people were rescued from the water. One person was uninjured, while the other was transported to the hospital in a "very serious condition."

Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace told CNN that five vehicles, including three passenger vehicles and a cement truck, were also found at the bottom of the river.

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Jesus Campos told PEOPLE in a Spanish-language interview that he worked with the six individuals who went missing after the collapse and described them as "good people."

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said some quick thinking may have saved more lives, being that the ship was operating at "a very, very rapid speed" at the time of the crash.

Related: Dramatic Photos from the Baltimore Bridge Collapse and Desperate Rescue Efforts

The governor also said the cargo ship's crew issued a "mayday" call after the freighter lost power prior to striking the bridge, giving officials time to “stop the flow of traffic so that more cars were not on the bridge.”

“Many of the vehicles were stopped before they got on the bridge, which saved lives,” Moore explained. “These people are heroes. They saved lives.”

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