One of the men presumed dead after the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore was named as officials began a recovery operation, according to LBC.
Six construction workers plunged 185 feet into the cold water under the bridge after it was hit by a cargo ship. One of them was identified as 49-year-old Miguel Luna from El Salvador.
Given the time of missing and the water temperature, the workers are presumed dead. The Coast Guard has since suspended its search and rescue mission and has focused on a recovery mission instead.
We do not want to injure any of these first responders in this recovery effort.
It came after close-up video footage of Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapsing emerged. The ship signalled an alarm moments before the crash.
A state of emergency was declared on Tuesday morning after the catastrophic collision, which occurred around 1.30am. The Singapore-flagged vessel Dali was only 20 minutes into its journey when it crashed into a support column of the bridge. US President Joe Biden ordered federal resources to assist in the recovery mission.
“This morning, I convened senior members of my team for a briefing on the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. I’ve directed my Administration to ensure every federal resource is available to assist search and rescue efforts and response to this terrible incident.”
The crew remained on board the cargo vessel marooned under the bridge, being questioned by coastguard officials. Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace confirmed that two people were pulled from the water. One was unhurt; the other had to be rushed to a local hospital with “serious injuries.”
Coast Guard ships, local police boats, Baltimore’s Fire Department, volunteer fire services from surrounding areas, and dive teams are involved in the rescue effort as the desperate search for survivors continues.
According to an early report by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the vessel “lost propulsion” when it left the port.
The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel and an allision with the bridge was possible. The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.
The ship crashed into one of the bridge supports, causing the structure to break, sag at several points and fall into the water within seconds. It appeared that the container vessel suffered an explosion when it collided with the bridge, causing the container and diesel fuel to splash into the water.
