The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after it was struck by the container ship Dali in the early morning hours on Tuesday while construction workers were doing overnight work on the bridge.
Shortly after the collapse, two people were rescued from the water. Six people who were missing were presumed dead by late Tuesday evening, with search and rescue operations transitioning into a recovery operation.
The bodies of two of the missing people were recovered on Wednesday morning after divers found a red pickup truck submerged about 25 feet underwater in the Patapsco River near the middle section of the bridge, police said during a press conference Wednesday.
"Divers recovered two victims of this tragedy trapped within the vehicle," Col. Roland Butler of the Maryland State Police said.
The victims were identified as 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes of Baltimore and 26-year-old Dorlian Castillo Cabrera of Dundalk, Maryland.
Police said responders were now moving from a recovery mode to a salvage operation. He said divers are no longer able to access the area where they believe more vehicles and victims may be because of the surrounding structures and debris.
"Based on sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are encased in the superstructure and concrete that we tragically saw come down," Butler said.
The bodies of four men who are presumed dead remain missing.
Seven of the eight men who were working on the bridge at the time of the collapse were employees of Brawner Builders . The company said Tuesday only one of their employees survived, while the six others were presumed dead.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0