Baltimore bridge collapse: Divers successfully retrieved the remains of two individuals from a red pickup truck submerged in the Patapsco River, officials said on Wednesday.
The recovery operation took place nearly 35 hours after a massive container ship collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse into the water, they said, adding that due to hazardous conditions impeding diver safety, efforts to recover any remaining victims have been ceased.
The victims were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, from Mexico residing in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, from Guatemala living in Dundalk, Maryland.
Divers located the bodies inside a red pickup truck in the Patapsco River near the mid-span of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. It was discovered on Wednesday morning, with families of the deceased notified in person later that afternoon, officials announced during an evening briefing.
Additionally, four construction workers who were on the bridge at the time remain missing and are presumed dead. Among the six workers on the bridge, nationals from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador were represented.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is spearheading the investigation, stated agency chair Jennifer Homendy. Homendy revealed that the Dali cargo ship involved in the crash carried 21 crew members and two pilots. Furthermore, a senior NTSB hazardous materials investigator identified 56 containers of hazardous material, some of which are submerged in the water.
The NTSB has obtained six hours of voyage data from the ship, with the investigation anticipated to last between 12 to 24 months. Homendy stressed that the NTSB will refrain from analyzing collected information or drawing conclusions while at the collapse site.
What exactly happened?
Baltimore bridge collapse: Moments before the collision, the operators of the Dali cargo ship issued a distress call, indicating a loss of power, revealed Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Despite this, the vessel continued toward the bridge at an alarming speed, Governor Moore emphasized.
The 985-foot-long Dali struck one of the supports of the 1.6-mile bridge, causing it to collapse into the water within seconds. Tragically, six construction workers who were conducting maintenance on the bridge are presumed to have lost their lives.
According to Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, the workers were stationed in the middle of the bridge when it disintegrated.
A prior inspection of the Dali in June at a port in Chile highlighted issues with the ship’s propulsion and auxiliary machinery, as per Equasis, a shipping information system. While the deficiency was related to gauges and thermometers, further details were not provided in the online records.
The most recent inspection of the Dali was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York in September. According to Equasis data, the examination categorized as a “standard examination” did not uncover any deficiencies.
At the time of the incident, the ship was traveling at a speed of 8 knots, equivalent to approximately 9 mph (15 kph).
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