2 Baltimore bridge collapse victims found and identified
BALTIMORE, Md. - Recovery efforts remain ongoing as dive teams search for four construction workers, who have been presumed dead after the Baltimore Key Bridge collapsed Tuesday morning.
Just before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Maryland State Police Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr. announced that they had found two of the victims who lost their lives.
Their bodies have been recovered and identified as 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, of Baltimore, and 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, of Dundalk.
Col. Butler said that the construction workers' bodies were found inside a red pickup truck submerged about 25 feet deep in the middle of the Patapsco River.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore addressed their families in Spanish during the news conference, saying, "Estamos contigo, ahora y siempre," which means, "We are with you, now and always."
All search efforts have been exhausted, and based on sonar scans, authorities "firmly" believe the other vehicles with victims inside are encased in superstructures and concrete from the collapsed bridge, Butler said. Divers are to return to search for remains once the waters are clear of debris.
Jesus Campos, who has worked on the bridge and knows members of the crew who died, said on Tuesday that he was told they were on a break and some were sitting in their trucks parked on the bridge to warm up when it collapsed.
Who are the Baltimore bridge collapse victims?
The company that employed the eight-person construction crew, Brawner Builders, said Tuesday afternoon they believed the missing six workers had died given the water’s depth and the amount of time that has passed since the collapse.
Two of the unaccounted for were identified Wednesday by Casa, an organization specializing in serving immigrant and working-class families. Executive director Gustavo Torres said 40-year-old Miguel Luna and 34-year-old Maynor Suazo Sandoval have been active members of the organization for about a decade.
"We know that they were hard workers. They loved soccer. We know they loved their families and communities," Torres said. "We know they were both extraordinary human beings. We know they came here almost the same time, 19 and 17 years from Central America; 19 years and 17 years, to have the American dream; to make a contribution to this nation, and to make sure their families have a chance here. That is what we know about them."
Sandoval was about to turn 35 with an upcoming birthday in April, according to Torres. The husband and father of two lived in Owings Mills and dreamed of owning his own company, Torres said.
"These construction workers are absolutely essential. They work on the nightshift to prepare a bridge that 30,000 people and cars use every day to work in the city. Maynor and Miguel are just two stories, two of thousands and thousands of Baltimoreans who are making a contribution to this beautiful country," he said. "In a time where there is so much hatred against the immigrant community, we look to the quiet leadership of Maynor and Miguel and appreciate how they uphold our society so the Americans can be comfortable. Highway workers often work overnight, hours with increased exposure to accidents so that we have a convenient lives and can work and avoid construction during daylight hours."
Both Luna and Sandoval’s families have asked for privacy, Torres added.
Among the six missing and presumed dead after the bridge collapse are people from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, according to diplomats from those countries.
The Embassy of Mexico confirmed in a statement that three of the eight workers are of Mexican nationality.
One of them, originally from Michoacán, was rescued alive and is recovering satisfactorily from his injuries.
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According to the Associated Press, Guatemala’s consulate in Maryland confirmed that two of the missing were Guatemalan citizens working on the bridge. Mexico’s Washington consulate also confirmed in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Mexican citizens were among the missing but did not say how many.
Father Ako Walker, a Catholic priest at Sacred Heart of Jesus, said outside a vigil that he spent time with the families of the workers as they waited for news of their loved ones.
The Guatemalan Foreign Ministry said in a statement that "Two Guatemalans, 26 and 35 years old, originally from San Luis, Petén and Camotán, Chiquimula, respectively; are missing after the accident that occurred early this Tuesday, March 26, when a cargo ship lost control on the Patapsco River, colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge."
"The Guatemalans were part of a total of eight workers who were repairing the asphalt on the bridge at the time of the accident," it added. "Two men were rescued, but one of them is in critical condition."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.