Maryland authorities said Wednesday that divers recovered two bodies while searching for a worker who went into the water after a cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday.
Divers found a red pickup truck submerged in about 25 feet of water in the midspan of the bridge, with two bodies trapped inside.
A view of the Dali cargo ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, causing its collapse on Tuesday. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
Maryland State Police Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland Butler identified the victims as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorian Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk. .
Butler said the man’s family has been notified by authorities.
“Based on the situation, we are currently moving from recovery mode to a salvage operation due to the superstructure and large amount of concrete and debris surrounding what appears to be a vehicle. Divers are no longer able to safely navigate or work around the area. “We cannot do that in the area surrounding this wreckage,” Butler said.
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Four other construction workers are still missing, but they are believed to have died. Butler said the victims were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Butler said all search efforts have been exhausted and, based on sonar scans, authorities “strongly” believe the other vehicle carrying the victims is encased in the superstructure and concrete of the collapsed bridge. He said there was.
Part of the collapsed bridge bridge of the Francis Scott Key Bridge lies on the container ship Dali in Baltimore, Maryland. (Army Corps of Engineers/Source via Reuters)
A colleague of the missing person said Tuesday that he heard the workers were on a break and sitting in a truck parked on the bridge when the bridge collapsed.
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U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said at a news conference that authorities had been informed that the ship was scheduled for maintenance. He added that they were not informed of any issues.
The ship struck a pillar early Tuesday, causing the bridge to collapse.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland. (Reuters/Julia Nickinson)
The investigation accelerated as the Baltimore region reeled from the sudden loss of a major transportation link, part of a freeway that circles the city. The disaster also closed the city’s port, which is important for the shipping industry.
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“The collapse of a major bridge is not just a crisis in Maryland. The collapse of a major bridge is a global crisis,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. “The national and global economies depend on the Port of Baltimore, which handles more motor vehicles and agricultural equipment than any other port in the nation.”
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat passes over the remains of the Dali cargo ship, which collapsed after colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship, said the impact occurred while the ship was under the control of one or more pilots, local experts who guide the ship safely into and out of port.
The ship, which was headed from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, is owned by Grace Ocean Private Limited, and Danish shipping giant Maersk announced it had been chartered.
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The ship is Singapore-flagged and Singaporean officials said they would conduct their own investigation in addition to assistance from U.S. authorities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
