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.
Watch it: Baltimore divers continue search of collapsed Key Bridge and cargo ship wreck
One of the victims texted his girlfriend before bridge collapsed
President Joe Biden said that one of the men, Carlos Hernández, had just texted his girlfriend before the bridge collapsed.
“We just poured cement. We’re waiting for it to dry,” the president quoted the man saying during a news conference on Friday. “To all the families and loved ones who are grieving, I’ve come here to grieve with you,” the president said.
Baltimore mayor calls out House Freedom Caucus for being reluctant to fund Key Bridge repairs
Men on board the “Dali” ship remain stuck in Baltimore Harbour
The crew on board the “Dali” ship are receiving counseling from mental health specialists in the maritime industry, a representative for the Synergy Marine Group, the organisation managing the ship said.
“A dedicated team, including clinical psychologists, is currently offering round-the-clock support to the crew of the Dali, in the form of regular, individual and confidential counseling,” the representative said.
“We’ve also offered these resources to the families of the crew as part of a comprehensive response that is under constant review by the psychologists and the wider Synergy Team”.
The crew also has the ability to contact their families at any point, the spokesperson said.
Watch: President Biden speaks from Baltimore
Cruise passengers react to being rerouted after Baltimore’s bridge collapse
Carnival Legend cruise passengers have shared their reactions to the trip being rerouted, after the collapse of the Francis Key Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.
Following a trip to the Bahamas, the cruise was set to end on 31 March, with the ship initially docking in Baltimore, Maryland. However, after the Key Bridge collapsed on 26 March, Carnival Legend’s ship was rerouted, before being docked in Norfolk, Virginia, on 31 March.
As noted on Carnival Legend’s official website, passengers were then provided with a complimentary bus service back to Baltimore. The cruise’s next seven day trip – set to begin on 31 March – will also leave from and return to Norfolk. The following trips will abide by this strategy, instead of being operated in Baltimore, and passengers have been made aware of the change.
“We appreciate the pledge made by President Biden today to dedicate all available resources to reopen Baltimore Harbor to marine traffic as soon as possible,” the president of Carnival Cruise Line, Christine Duffy, said in a statement. “As those plans are finalised, we will update our future cruise guests on when we will return home to Baltimore, but in the meantime, we appreciate the quick response and support from officials in Norfolk.”
Amber Raiken has the full story...
Cruise passengers react to ship being rerouted after Baltimore’s bridge collapse
The cruise ship docked in Virgina instead of Baltimore on 31 March
Baltimore bridge collapse dive team recovers body of third construction worker
Authorities believe six workers were killed when they fell into water as bridge collapsed.
Baltimore bridge collapse dive team recovers body of third construction worker
Authorities believe six workers may fell into water as bridge collapsed
ICYMI: How did the collision happen?
At around 1.30am ET local time, the Singapore-flagged vessel Dali struck a column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, leading multiple parts of the 1.6-mile-long bridge to tumble into the water.
Just moments before the collision, the ship’s crew issued a mayday call. Maryland Gov Wes Moore added that the call “undoubtedly saved lives,” giving time for authorities to stop cars from continuing on the bridge.
The crew warned the Maryland Department of Transportation that a collision with the bridge “was possible,” the report said. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”
It’s still unclear what caused the accident. But the ship was just 30 minutes into its 27-day journey to Sri Lanka.
Marcel Muise, the chief investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said data from the shipping container’s voyage data recorder, sometimes referred to as a “black box”, was still being analysed.
Mr Muise said that around 1.27am on Tuesday, one of the two pilots of the Dali had made radio contact regarding a “blackout” and ordered for the port anchor to be dropped as well as issuing additional steering commands.
Several seconds later the pilot issued another radio call over the radio reporting that the Dali had “lost all power and was approaching the bridge,” Mr Muise said.
Transportation authorities say the water under the bridge is around 50 feet deep.
There was no indication that the crash was intentional, officials said.
Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that it appeared there were “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge”, creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency responders had to operate cautiously.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB, said that over 750 tonnes of hazardous materials had been onboard the Dali container ship when the crash occurred.
An NTSB hazmat investigator was able to identify 56 containers of hazardous materials, a total of 764 tonnes of hazardous materials, Ms Homendy told a press conference on 27 March. The materials were “mostly corrosives, flammables, and some miscellaneous hazardous materials”, she added.
Some of the hazmat containers were breached, though state authorities have been made aware.
Non-profit org helping migrants sends open letter to Biden administration demanding temporary work visas
CASA, a non-profit organisation that two of the victims belonged to, held a virtual press conference on Monday asking President Joe Biden’s administration to provide temporary work visas to migrants. The group also called for temporary protected status and humanitarian parole.
As part of the news conference, the advocates revealed a letter sent to the administration asking that construction workers receive the protective policies. Latino workers are eight percent of the construction workforce and suffer over 26 percent of the deaths, the letter stated.
“As construction companies and business leaders, we know that construction cannot function without immigrant workers. We also know that it is a physical, demanding, and sometimes dangerous work,” the letter reads.
“The deaths of the pothole crew stranded on the bridge illustrates that, despite many safeguards, essential construction workers are vulnerable to sudden accidents and deaths”. The letter was signed by the non-profit, leaders in the construction industry and other advocates.
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