The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday after a support column was hit by a large container ship that had lost power, sending vehicles and people into the Patapsco River, authorities said.

Six people remain missing and are presumed dead, Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath of the U.S. Coast Guard said at a news conference Tuesday evening. Two other people were rescued from the water.

All eight people were part of a construction crew that was filling potholes on the bridge at the time, Wiedefeld said. Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Security Board, said Tuesday afternoon that the workers were employed by local company Brawner Builders.

One of the rescued workers was unhurt. The other was treated at the University of Maryland Medical Center and has been discharged, CBS Baltimore station WJZ reported.

At 7:30 p.m. ET, search and rescue operations were suspended as officials transitioned to recovery efforts.

“Based on the length of time that we’ve gone in this search, the extensive search efforts that we’ve put into it, the water temperature — that at this point we do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive,” Gilreath said.

Col. Roland Butler Jr. with Maryland State Police said conditions in the water, including changing currents, low visibility and sharp metal objects, made it dangerous for divers and first responders.