A cargo ship crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse. It’s believed that six construction workers might have lost their lives in this tragic incident. Following the sad incident, the National Transportation Safety Board investigated the crash, and divers searched for the missing workers.
Officials have officially presumed six people in the Baltimore bridge collapse to be dead. On Friday, April 5, at around 10:30 am, they found the body of one other, Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, after initially discovering two bodies in about 25 feet of the water.
While two people were rescued at the scene of the occurrence, officials have recovered a third body, presuming the other three were dead.
What Exactly Happened?
The operators on the Dali cargo ship sent out a mayday call right before the crash, saying they lost power. But even though the ship was going about nine mph, it still hit one of the bridge supports, causing it to collapse into the water. It all happened so fast.
When the crash happened, eight construction workers were on the bridge, filling potholes. Authorities rescued two at the scene, but sadly, they declared others missing with ongoing rescue missions. However, days later, officials recovered three bodies, declaring the other three dead.
Jeffrey Pritzker, the executive vice president of Brawner Builders, mentioned they were in the middle of the bridge when it collapsed. The Coast Guard noted that the ship had some “routine engine maintenance” in the port before it lost power.
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A Proper Inspection Was Done on the Ship Sometimes Last Year
In June 2023, the Dali was inspected at a port in Chile. There, they found an issue with the ship’s “propulsion and auxiliary machinery.” According to Equasis, a shipping information system, the problem involved gauges and thermometers, but the online records didn’t give more details.
In September 2023, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a “standard examination” in New York. According to Equasis data, they didn’t find any deficiencies. Roberto Leon, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech, said that because the ship is so massive, it hit the bridge support with a ton of force.
He mentioned that the support could handle some bending but couldn’t handle the energy from such a “humongous ship.” In June last year, federal inspectors rated the 47-year-old bridge as “fair condition.” However, experts say the bridge’s piers didn’t have enough protection to handle a crash like this.
According to Leon, if a ship of this size hits a bridge pier without enough protection, the bridge cannot do much. However, investigators say the crash looks like an accident.
How Many Survivors and How Many Are Missing?
The officials in Baltimore have officially presumed six people as deceased. However, they rescued two survivors. Less than a week later, divers recovered the body of a third victim. Hence, three people are still missing from the accident.
According to local authorities, just hours before, President Biden visited the site of the disaster and met with victims’ families. They initially discovered two bodies while the bodies of three more victims remained missing.
According to Maryland Governor Wes Moore, the crew on the cargo ship managed to send out a “mayday” call before the collision. That call helped the authorities limit the traffic on the bridge.
“While I take solace in knowing this brings us one step closer to closure, my heart continues to be with all the families still waiting anxiously for their loved ones,” Mayor Brandon Scott of Baltimore said in a statement.
Who Were the Victims?
The searchers were able to find the bodies of Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, and Maynor Yassir Suazo-Sandoval, 38, who came to the U.S. from Honduras. Authorities discovered the first two in a pickup truck submerged in about 25 feet of water.
According to the country diplomats, the construction workers came from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico to the Maryland area. On Friday, April 5, 2024, divers recovered another body in the Baltimore Bridge waters. They identified the recovered individual as 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval.
Gustavo Torres, the executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), a group that works with immigrants, spoke about Suazo-Sandoval after authorities found his body. Torres stated that the late father of two migrated from Honduras over 17 years ago.
His brother also described him as a hardworking and entrepreneurial man who is a loving husband and father of two. While three people remain missing, El Salvador’s foreign minister, Alexandra Hill Tinoco, mentioned that a Salvadoran citizen, Miguel Luna, is among the missing workers.
President Joe Biden Visits Collapsed Baltimore Bridge
President Joe Biden mentioned at the White House, a few hours after the accident, that he will ask Congress for federal funding to rebuild the bridge.
“We’re going to rebuild that port,” he said. “We’re going to rebuild that bridge as soon as humanly possible.” On Friday, April 5, 2024, President Joe Biden went to see it for himself. He got a firsthand look at the crews using cranes, ships, and diving teams to clear away the “mangled mess” of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
“I’m here to say your nation has your back, and I mean it,” Biden said from the shoreline overlooking the collapsed bridge in Dundalk, just outside Baltimore. “Your nation has your back.” The bridge that collapsed was 2.5 kilometers long and was a major link in the interstate highway around Baltimore.
President Biden mentioned that on an average day, around 30,000 vehicles would cross that bridge. Notably, the bridge was named after Francis Scott Key, the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a poem later set to music to become the U.S. national anthem.
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