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The first two bodies have been recovered from the Patapsco River after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, authorities said at a press conference on Wednesday. State officials announced they have suspended recovery operations citing safety concerns for divers and an inability to reach vehicles still trapped within the submerged remains of the structure.
The men have been identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26.
Eight men – all male construction workers employed repairing potholes on the bridge when the Dali container cargo ship collided with one of its supports and brought it down in the early hours of Tuesday morning – were unaccounted for in the aftermath of the disaster. Two were immediately rescued from the scene.
A rescue effort was called off on Tuesday night as Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said there was no hope of finding the men alive due to the frigid water and the length of time since the accident.
Her organisation switched to a recovery effort on Wednesday morning.
Officials say they do not know when the bridge or port will be reopened, sparking fears about the disruption to trade likely to result from the tragedy.
The busy Port of Baltimore employs 8,000 area residents, generating $2m a day in wages.
Minneapolis Interstate 35W bridge, which collapsed in 2007, lights up in Maryland colours
In August 2007, the Interstate 35W Bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, sending more than 100 vehicles and 18 construction workers into the Mississippi River, 115 feet below. Thirteen people lost their lives and more than 145 people were injured during afternoon rush hour.
In solidarity with the events this week, the Minnesota Department of Transportation light up the rebuilt bridge on Tuesday in red, black and yellow, the state colours of Maryland.
‘I would have been in the water’
Amelia Neath has more on the astonishing story of Moises Diaz, who, but for a simple twist of fate, might have been killed in the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster.
In pictures: NTSB inspectors on board stricken Dali cargo ship
Here are some freshly released images of the National Transportation Safety Board investigators aboard the Dali as they examine the circumstances that led to the crash.
‘Hard-working, humble men with spouses and children’: What we know about Baltimore bridge collapse victims
Here’s more on the victims of this week’s tragedy from Kelly Rissman and Amelia Neath.
Experts break down possible cause of deadly crash
The jaw-dropping collapse of Baltimore’s well-trafficked Francis Scott Key Bridge resulted after a rare set of circumstances — but still highlights how shipping and structural changes could save lives in the future as industries modernise, writes Sheila Flynn.
Watch: Baltimore Key Bridge crash investigators board cargo ship
Here’s another look at the moment yesterday when National Transportation Safety Board investigators boarded the stricken Dali cargo vessel as they sought to establish precisely what led to its smash with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Watch: Baltimore Key Bridge crash investigators board cargo ship
Investigators on Wednesday 27 March boarded the cargo ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse. Footage shows officers using drones to inspect the horror wreckage before stepping onto the vessel. It reportedly lost power before ramming into a bridge support, plunging the structure into the Patapsco River as it fell apart within seconds in the early hours of Tuesday. The ship’s pilot issued a mayday call shortly before the collision, allowing Maryland transportation officers to stop oncoming traffic onto the bridge. Divers on Wednesday recovered the bodies of two of six missing construction crew who were on the structure at the time.
Baltimore Key Bridge ‘not made to withstand direct impact from vessel’
Here’s a look at what US transport secretary Pete Buttigieg had to say about the disaster at yesterday’s press conference.
Baltimore Bridge ‘not made to withstand direct impact’, says US transport secretary
The Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed in Baltimore was “simply not made to withstand a direct impact from a vessel that weighs about 200m pounds”, the US transport secretary has said. Pete Buttigieg made his comments during a news conference on Wednesday (27 March), after it was revealed two bodies had been pulled from the Patapsco river. The exact cause of the crash in the early hours of Tuesday, which has been described by authorities as a “ developing mass casualty incident,” is still unknown. At around 1.30am ET local time, the Singapore-flagged vessel Dali rammed into a column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, leading multiple parts of the 1.6 mile-long bridge to tumble into the water.
Disturbing Baltimore bridge 911 ‘survivor’ call prank spreads on social media
A fake call to the emergency services claiming to be from a driver on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed is going viral on social media.
Here’s more from Catherine Shuttleworth for Indy100.
Construction worker miraculously escaped Baltimore bridge collapse after last-minute shift change: ‘I give thanks to God’
The New York Post offers the incredible story of Moises Diaz, 45, a colleague of some of the deceased from Brawner Builders who only escaped Tuesday’s tragedy as a result of a last-minute shift change.
Diaz told the Post he is grieving for the men he viewed as “family” and counting his blessings.
“If I didn’t ask to switch, I would have been in the water right now,” he said.
“It’s tragic. I’m really appreciative that I wasn’t on the bridge. I give thanks to God.”
He described his fallen colleagues as “good workers, hard-working… They were good family members, husbands and dads” and said: “When I found out about it, I got a notification. I remembered, ‘Oh my co-workers are on that bridge working. What happened to them?’”
Bodies of two missing workers recovered from river in submerged truck
The bodies of the aforementioned Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, and of Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, have now been recovered from the Patapsco River, as revealed at yesterday’s press conference with the US Coast Guard, Maryland Department of Transportation and state governor Wes Moore.
Mike Bedigan has the latest.
Source: independent.co.uk
