Officials and grieving relatives have identified the six construction workers who are believed to have died in the early Tuesday collapse of a significant Baltimore bridge as dedicated fathers and family-oriented men from Mexico and Central America.
The workers were repairing potholes on the roadbeds of the Francis Key Scott Bridge when a massive tanker collided with it shortly before 1:30 a.m., causing sections of the 1.6-mile-long structure — along with those on it — to plunge into the frigid waters of the Patapsco River below. Two workers were rescued from the river, but six others remain unaccounted for. The six workers are now believed to have died as the bridge collapsed.
All Six Presumed Dead
The Coast Guard terminated the search and rescue operation on Tuesday night, after telling reporters that it is unlikely they will find any of the missing workers alive. Miguel Luna, 49, was working on the graveyard shift with his Hispanic team when the Dali ship lost propulsion, leading to the collapse of the iconic Francis Scott Key bridge.
Luna, a father of six children, is now presumed to have perished in the incident.
"They only tell us that we have to wait, that for now, they can't give us information. [We feel] devastated, devastated because our heart is broken, because we don't know if they've rescued them yet. We're just waiting to hear any news," his wife, Maria del Carmen Castellon told Telemundo 44.
Maynor Suazo, 37, originally from Honduras, has been identified by his home country as another worker who is missing and presumed dead. Suazo, a father of two, had been living in the United States for the past 18 years.
The consulate of Guatemala in Maryland released a statement indicating that two of the missing workers were citizens of Guatemala. While the consulate did not disclose their identities, it said that consular officials were in communication with authorities and offering support to the affected families.
Officials from Mexico have said that some of their citizens are among the missing, but they have not specified the exact number.
Suazo's brother, Martin, told Honduran television that his brother hailed from Santa Barbara, located in the western region of the country. Martin explained that his brother immigrated to the United States to "improve his quality of life."
Martin expressed his intention to travel to the United States to repatriate his brother's remains.
"They're fathers with families. They're people who came to earn their bread each day," their grieving co-worker Jesus Campos, who was not on the bridge, told the Wall Street Journal of the missing men.
The Unluckiest Ones
So far, Miguel Luna and Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval are the only two people identified among the presumed half-dozen deceased, as per reports. Moreover, Maryland State Police officials have cautioned that the death toll could surpass these six victims, as there is a possibility that motorists were also present on the bridge when it collapsed into the Patapsco River.
Divers are scheduled to resume their search at 6 a.m. on Wednesday to locate more bodies.
The six confirmed victims, all employed by Brawner Builders, originated from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico, as confirmed by officials from the respective countries.
In a separate interview with CNN, Martin confirmed that Suazo is survived by his 18-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter. Martin reiterated his brother's aspiration for a better life in the US and said that Suazo had also started his own maintenance company.
"Maynor Suazo was a guy with warmth, quality of people, entrepreneur with a vision and mission to serve our community," a family friend wrote in a touching Facebook tribute.
The crew of the ship issued a mayday call just moments before the crash that resulted in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, as revealed by Maryland's governor.
As the vessel approached the bridge, puffs of black smoke and fluctuations in the bridge lights could be seen. Upon impact with one of the bridge's supports. The structure crumbled as if it were a toy, with a portion of the span coming to rest on the bow of the ship.
Governor Wes Moore said that with the ship rapidly approaching the bridge, authorities had only a brief window to prevent vehicles from crossing over the bridge, which they managed to do.
"These people are heroes,' Moore said. 'They saved lives last night."
Synergy Marine Group, which manages the ship, verified that the vessel collided with a pillar of the bridge at around 1:30 a.m. while under the supervision of one or more pilots. These pilots are local experts tasked with assisting vessels in navigating safely into and out of ports. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd.
