Remains of two construction workers have been discovered in a red pickup truck in the river following the Baltimore bridge collapse. The bodies have been recovered and identified. Rescue teams are searching for the remaining four missing people.
Baltimore bridge bodies found
The remains of two individuals have been recovered from a submerged red pickup truck, which was trapped beneath the waters following the collapse of the Baltimore bridge.
Eight construction workers were on the bridge at the time of the incident, caused by a ship collision, resulting in their plunge into the water below.
While two workers were rescued on the day of the collapse, efforts persist to locate the remaining four, all presumed deceased.
So far, four of the six victims of the bridge collapse have been identified.
Maryland State Police released the identities of Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, as the two workers recovered by divers from the red truck. Fuentes is from Mexico, while Cabrera is of Guatemalan descent.
But divers are no longer able to safely navigate the waters because of concrete and debris found in the river, police said. They are now using sonar scans to search for the missing four bodies, that they suspect could be “encased in superstructure and concrete” that came down from the bridge, an official said.
Two other missing individuals, presumed deceased, have also been identified: Miguel Luna, originally from El Salvador, and Maynor Suazo Sandoval, a citizen of Honduras.
Baltimore bridge video
BREAKING: Ship collides with Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse pic.twitter.com/OcOrSjOCRn
— BNO News (@BNONews) March 26, 2024
Baltimore Bridge collapse death toll
The bridge collapsed after a ship crashed into it. Eight construction workers were on the bridge at the time of the incident, with two being rescued from the waters on the day of the crash. Six construction workers are believed to have died in the incident – with rescue teams still trying to locate four bodies.
- An unclassified memo by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the ship “lost propulsion as it was leaving Baltimore Harbour”
- Videos of the incident show the lights were flickering on the container ship shortly before impact, indicating it may have lost power
- Officials said crew on board of the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of the vessel – essentially issuing a mayday call
- At the time, the ship had been moving at a “very rapid speed” towards the bridge, officials said, meaning it could not stop or divert away in time
- The mayday call prompted local authorities to then close the bridge to traffic before it was struck, “undoubtedly saving lives,” Biden said