Baltimore bridge collapse: Third body recovered from water as Biden meets with victims’ families
Unified Command confirmed dive teams found the body of 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval
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The body of a third victim has been recovered by divers from the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, officials said Friday.
Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 38, was the third man to be retrieved from the water after he plunged to his death with five other construction workers.
The bridge collapsed at 1.30am on 26 March after a cargo ship collided with a supporting pier. Six men, all of whom were Latino immigrant workers, were on the bridge at the time and are presumed dead, authorities have said.
Suazo-Sandoval, a native of Honduras, was married with a son, 18, and five-year-old daughter. He also leaves behind his siblings, who live in both Honduras and Maryland.
Carlos Alexis Suazo-Sandoval, Maynor’s brother, told The Washington Post that he was relieved the body had been found.
The bodies of two other victims were covered in the immediate aftermath of the collapse from a vehicle that had fallen into the Patapsco River. Dorian Castillo Cabrera, a 25-year-old from Guatemala, and Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, from Mexico.
Three more workers are still missing in the river.
“The collapse of the Key Bridge is undoubtedly one of the most challenging tragedies we have faced as a law enforcement agency. Along with our local, state and federal public safety partners, we will not give up,” Colonel Roland L Butler, Jr, Superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, said.
“There are families still waiting to hear if we have found their loved one. I can promise you, we are fully committed to finding closure for each of these families.”
President Joe Biden travelled to Baltimore on Friday to meet with the victims’ families and take an aerial tour of the wreckage on Marine One. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced that a new channel will be completed by the end of April and allow one of the country’s busiest ports to begin to reopen.
There are currently two temporary channels open but they are not deep enough for large container ships to pass through.The container ship involved in the crash, the Dali, remains stranded at the port.
This comes as new video footage has been released showing dive teams entering the water around the wreckage – revealing the challenging conditions authorities are working in.
Biden’s visit to Baltimore: The schedule
12.30pm ET – President receives an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge with Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard Admiral Linda Fagan, and Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the US Army Corps of Engineers Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon
1.35pm ET – President participates in an operational briefing on response and recovery efforts with the Maryland Transportation Authority
1.55pm ET – Mr Biden meets with federal personnel, state and local officials, and first responders
2.30pm ET – President delivers remarks reaffirming his commitment to the people of Baltimore as they rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge and reopen the Port of Baltimore
3.15pm ET – President meets with the loved ones of the six individuals who tragically lost their lives when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed
WATCH: White House vows to ‘get to the bottom’ of Baltimore Bridge collapse
Gov Wes Moore gives an update one week after bridge’s collapse
US congressman speaks out against Republicans opposed to funding bridge construction
James E Clyburn, a Democratic congressman from South Carolina, spoke out against some members of US Congress opposed to funding rebuilding efforts for the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge in an interview with NBC News on Tuesday.
“The fact of the matter is, all of us, every state in the nation, all 50 of us, will take our turns needing this kind of assistance”.
Local leaders acknowledge ‘long road’ ahead
Today marked one week since the fatal collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge, which took six construction workers’ lives.
Speaking at a Tuesday press conference, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called the incident an “unpseakable tragedy.”
He added, “the road ahead is long and difficult” but we will “utilize every tool” to support the community and businesses.
Leaders also underscored that the bad weather has made the mission to clear the wreckage even more difficult.
US Army Corps of Engineers Col Estee Pinchasin shed light on some of the salvage efforts.
The state of the wreckage has made it difficult to know “where to cut, how to cut” into the tresses submerged in the water. She added, the workers are operating in an “extremely unforgiving” area, but they are developing a plan.
“The compelxity is even more complex than we thought,” Gov Moore said, adding “there are still a lot of unknowns.”
US Joint House Subcommittee begins hearing on safety and security at US Ports
House representatives convened in Miami on Friday to discuss emerging challenges to safety and security at US ports as well as the state of port infrastructure and future investment needs.
Watch the hearing here.
Every port is vulnerable to an accident or attack
Ranking members of Congress are drilling Coast Guard officials about ways that accidents like the Baltimore bridge collapse could be prevented.
Officials said that every bridge across the country is vulnerable to accidents like last week’s that could put US ports out of commission for months.
Economic disaster loans available to small business owners
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