Remembering the 6 killed in bridge collapse
BALTIMORE - Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after its support column was struck by amalfunctioning cargo shipin the early morning hours of March 26, sending eight construction workers into the Patapsco River below, and killing six of them.
As of May 2, five bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of mangled steel as a delicate, complex salvage effort continues to reopen access to the Port of Baltimore.
The men were working for Brawner Builders, filling potholes on the center span of the bridge at the time of the collapse. They were originally from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
Of the eight men, two of them were rescued from the water the night of the collapse. Two bodies were recovered a day later, and three more bodies have been found over the three weeks following the disaster. One body remains missing as of May 2, 2024.
Who were the bridge collapse victims?
The bodies of 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes and 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrerawere found in a submerged truck the day after the collapse.
Cabrera was originally from Guatemala and lived in Dundalk, and Fuentes lived in Baltimore and was from Mexico.
On April 5, crewsrecovered the body of 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, who is from Honduras. His brother, Carlos Alexis, described him as a kind, big-hearted and funny family man who came to the U.S. when he was about 20. He had a teenage son and a 5-year-old daughter.
A fourth body was recovered from a submerged construction vehicle on April 16. The Mexican Consulate identified the victim as 24-year-old Carlos Hernandez.
The body of Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, was recovered from a submerged truck on May 1. The El Salvadoran was a husband, a father of three, and lived in Maryland for nearly 20 years, according to CASA, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization Luna was a part of.
A former coworker, Moises Diaz, described Luna as a kind person who worked hard and always shared his food with other workers and friends. In an interview with CBS News, Diaz said he considered Luna like a brother.
Jose Mynor Lopez, 35, was originally from Guatemala. His wife, Isabel Franco, told WJZ he moved to the U.S. 19 years ago and was a loving father to their child and three stepchildren.
"He had a good heart. He was a hard worker. He was always worried about his family too. He died but he was fighting for us always," she said in Spanish.
As of May 2, Lopez's body remains unaccounted for. A salvage and recovery operation led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is ongoing in the Patapsco River.
Officials aim to fully reopen the Fort McHenry Channel to vessels by the end of May, but it isn't clear when the recovery operation might end.
Adam Thompson is a digital content producer for CBS Baltimore.
