Baltimore Tragedy: Recovery Efforts Continue After Bridge Collapse
In the wake of the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse in Baltimore, search and rescue operations persist for four construction workers presumed deceased, following the grim discovery of two bodies inside a submerged vehicle.
© Office of the Maryland Governor
Early Wednesday, amidst the icy waters of Baltimore's harbor, recovery teams made a heartrending find. Maryland police reported the extraction of a red pickup truck found 25 feet below the surface. Inside, trapped, were two victims of the catastrophe.
The deceased were identified as two male laborers, aged 35 and 26, hailing from Mexico and Guatemala, respectively. They were part of a crew engaged in maintenance on the bridge deck when disaster struck.
In total, eight individuals, originating from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, were plunged into the Patapsco River following the bridge's failure, caused by a collision with a container ship on Tuesday. Among them, two were swiftly rescued—one unharmed, the other severely injured—all members of a construction team tasked with pothole repairs at the time of the incident.
However, the fates of four others, now all presumed dead, remain uncertain as their bodies have yet to be located. The substantial amount of concrete and debris that entered the water has rendered it unsafe for divers to navigate towards what is believed to be the location of the entrapped vehicles, explained Roland Butler of the Maryland police, as reported by CBS News.
Efforts are underway to remove the obstructive structure from the water, aiming to grant divers safer access to the presumed location of the remaining victims, Butler added.