Divers have recovered two of the six construction workers who fell into the Patapsco River after a container ship collided into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The others are presumed dead, and officials say search efforts have been exhausted.
Investigators collected evidence the day after the ship struck the Key Bridge. The bodies of two men were located inside of a submerged vehicle in about 25 feet of water near the bridge’s middle span on Wednesday morning Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of the Maryland State Police, announced at a news conference.
Butler identified the men as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, who was from Mexico and living in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, who was from Guatemala and living in Dundalk, Md.
Four other men on the crew are still missing but are presumed dead.
The crew worked for Brawner Builders, which had been contracted by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT).
Moises Diaz, a 45-year-old employee of Brawner Builders, was supposed to be on the Key Bridge that night. However, a last-minute shift change likely saved his life, and he is mourning his colleagues.
In an interview with the New York Post, Diaz identified the missing men as Miguel Luna, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, Jose, and Carlos.
The victims were part of a construction crew fixing potholes on the bridge when the collision happened.
Butler said all search efforts have been exhausted, and based on sonar scans, authorities believe the other vehicles with victims are encased in material from the collapsed bridge. Divers will resume the search once debris is cleared.
--------------------------------------------------
Source: New York Post, AP News
