By The newspaper
Mar 28, 2024, 08:10 AM EDT
Authorities in Baltimore temporarily suspended the search for four Hispanics missing as a result of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge this Tuesday after being hit by a cargo ship.
The pause in work is due to the dangerous conditions faced by divers such as excess debris coupled with bad weather.
The victims who are presumed dead are part of the group of six workers who fell into the waters of the Patapsco River.
Yesterday, authorities reported that they recovered the bodies of two victims.
The deceased were identified as the Mexican Alejandro Fernández Fuentes, 35 years old; and the Guatemalan Dorlián Castillo Cabrera, 26.
Maryland Police Chief Roland Butler indicated at a press conference that the bodies were found inside a red truck about 25 feet deep.
The fatal victims were part of a group of eight construction workers, all of them of Hispanic origin, who were filling potholes on the bridge when the Dali boat, from the Singapore company Synergy Group, collided with the barrier.
There were 21 crew members and two pilots on the boat, who emerged unharmed from the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation to determine the causes of the incident.
At around 1:26 am, approximately three minutes before the ship hit the bridge, the crew called for help, according to data taken from a recording in the possession of the NTSB.
The ship’s pilot said he did everything in his power to stop the vessel, according to Clay Diamond, executive director and general counsel of the American Pilots Association.
“Just minutes before approaching the bridge, there was a complete blackout on the ship, meaning the ship lost engine power; “It was a complete blackout,” Diamond told CNN.
The investigation of the facts could last up to 2 years.
Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the NTSB, revealed that the ship was carrying 56 containers with about 764 tons of hazardous chemical materials, some of which fell into the water.
Corrosive and flammable materials include lithium-ion batteries.
“We have a great team of individuals who are focused on very specific areas of specialty so I have no doubt that we will be able to put this together hopefully in between 12 and 24 months,” said Homendy, who classified the investigation as an “undertaking massive.”
Apart from the aforementioned victims, there are also workers from El Salvador and Honduras.
Salvadoran Miguel Luna was identified as another of the deceased, as well as Maynor Suazo from Honduras.
At the moment, more than 1,000 soldiers from the United States Army Corps of Engineers are in the area to clear the canal where the bridge collapsed.
Keep reading:
Baltimore police audio reveals the moments before the ship collided with the bridge