The body of a Baltimore Key Bridge victim has been recovered by divers 10 days after the sudden collapse.
The nation was left shocked on March 26 when the towering 984-foot cargo ship, known as the Dali, collided with the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending it crashing into the Patapsco River below.
The following day, it was reported that the bodies of two construction workers – who were on the bridge at the time of the incident – had been recovered from a submerged vehicle. They had reportedly been filling potholes on the bridge at the time of the tragedy.
It has now been disclosed that another construction worker named Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval was found several days after the horrific incident.
The towering 984-foot cargo ship, known as the Dali, collided with the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge. Credit: Kevin Dietsch / Getty
Suazo-Sandoval was discovered by divers around 10:30AM on Friday (April 5) morning, as reported by The New York Times.
The 38-year-old was a migrant from Azacualpa, Honduras, and left his home country at age 20 to look for a job in the United States, his eldest brother, Martín Suazo, told the publication.
“My brother was an entrepreneurial young man,” Martín, the assistant director of a public school, said in an interview in Spanish on Saturday. “He was the family’s driving force, motivating us all to work hard,” he added.
The married father-of-two opened his own business five years ago and was operating a small fleet of delivery trucks. But the pandemic forced his business to shut down, so he took a job rebuilding roads and bridges.
“He loved the country that gave him the opportunity to work,” Martín said. “He loved the United States very much for its open doors that allow people to help people in other countries.”
The remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed when the cargo ship Dali collided with it on March 26. Credit: Kevin Dietsch / Getty
The six men who have lost their lives in the tragedy have been named by the authorities.
In addition to Suazo-Sandoval, the victims were 30-year-old Jose López from Guatemala, 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes from Mexico, 24-year-old Carlos Hernández from Mexico, 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera from Guatemala, and Miguel Luna, who was in his 40s and from El Salvador.
As aforementioned, officials have recovered the bodies of Suazo-Sandoval, Cabrera, and Fuentes. Three workers are still missing more than a week after the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River.
“While I take solace in knowing this brings us one step closer to closure, my heart continues to be with all the families still waiting anxiously for their loved ones,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement, per NYT.
“The collapse of the Key Bridge is undoubtedly one of the most challenging tragedies we have faced as a law enforcement agency,” Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of the Maryland state police, said in a statement. “Along with our local, state, and federal public safety partners, we will not give up.”
Our thoughts continue to go out to the families of all the victims.