Posted on 03/27/24
| News Source: Pikesville Patch
Baltimore, MD - Mar. 27, 2024 - The bodies of two victims found inside a truck were recovered from the bridge collapse site Wednesday morning, the Maryland State Police said. The men who died were among six missing road construction workers who were on the bridge when it collapsed after a ship rammed the structure.
Shortly before 10 a.m. divers found two bodies trapped in a red pickup truck at the crash site, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of the state police said at a late afternoon briefing.
The victims were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera of Dundalk.
Butler called it a tragic finding and said searchers believe the remaining construction workers and their vehicles are trapped in the superstructure. Once the metal and concrete ruins of the bridge are removed, divers will go back to the site to recover the remaining bodies.
The two victims' families were notified just over an hour ago in person.
"Because of the superstructure surrounding what we believe were the vehicles and the amount of concrete and debris, divers are no longer able to safely navigate and operate around that," Butler said. "We have exhausted all search efforts."
Gov. Wes Moore has ordered that Maryland flags be flown at half-staff until further notice to honor the Key Bridge victims.
Authorities at a White House press briefing said they are balancing efforts to recover the remains of the victims with work to reopen the shipping channel, the Post said.
Officials said the construction workers missing after Tuesday’s Baltimore bridge collapse were originally from Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras.
Authorities called off the search Tuesday evening, saying the six missing people are presumed dead after a cargo ship lost power and crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Crews returned Wednesday morning to search for the bodies.
To learn more about the Key Bridge collapse, read all of Patch's coverage here.
Officials said they rescued two of the construction workers on Tuesday. One went to the hospital, and the other refused treatment.
Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Tuesday evening that two of the missing workers are originally from Guatemala.
The Ministry only identified them as 26- and 35-year-olds originally from San Luis, Petén and Camotán, Chiquimula. Guatemalan officials said they called the brothers of both presumed victims and are trying to meet with the families in person.
The Mexican Embassy to the U.S. said later in the evening that one of the workers is originally from Mexico.
Guatemala and Mexico both confirmed that another victim was originally from El Salvador. Guatemala said at least one more missing person is from Honduras.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the names of the remaining victims.
Moore said on CBS News Wednesday morning that the divers searching for the missing workers face a treacherous situation swimming through the bridge wreckage in the Patapsco River.
“We’re talking about frigid temperatures, we’re talking about a moving tide, we’re talking about darkness and mangled metal, that’s still very much in the middle of this water,” Moore said. “The heroism of our first responders was just outstanding.”
CASA, an immigrant rights advocacy group, said two of its members are among the missing.
CASA said Miguel Luna and Maynor Suazo Sandoval never returned home from working on the bridge.
Luna migrated from El Salvador 19 years ago, CASA said. CASA didn’t mention his town of residence in Maryland, saying it’s respecting the family’s desire for privacy.
CASA said the 40-year-old Luna is a husband and a father of three.
Sandoval migrated from Honduras 17 years ago and he resides in Owings Mills, CASA said.
CASA said the 34-year-old Sandoval has two children and dreams of opening his own business. He loves working with machinery.
Both men have been dues-paying CASA members for over 10 years, the organization said.
CASA Executive Director Gustavo Torres called them both “extraordinary human beings.”
“We know that they were hard workers. We know that they love soccer. We know that they love their families and the community,” Torres said on a Wednesday press call.
A representative of the company the construction workers are employed by told The Associated Press that they are presumed dead. He cited the water's depth and the length of time since the crash. Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said the crew was working in the middle of the bridge when it collapsed.