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The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being rammed by a cargo ship en route to Sri Lanka at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 26, 2024.
In a press conference, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police, said the incident sent at least eight people from a construction crew into the water after a large part of the bridge crashed into the Patapsco River. Authorities said multiple vehicles also plunged into the river, but at this time, they do not believe anyone was inside.
Authorities said rescuers pulled two people out of the water, one of whom was treated at a hospital and subsequently discharged. However, the remaining six construction workers remain missing and were presumed dead after Butler said the search and rescue mission was transitioning to search and recovery.
The victims of the Baltimore Bridge collapse were from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico
In a press conference on Tuesday, authorities said the six missing men were working for Brawner Builders at the time of the Baltimore Bridge Collapse. While authorities did not disclose the names of the victims, Jesús Campos, who also works in construction told the Baltimore Banner that they are all men from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico.
The Banner also reported all the men had spouses and children. In a press release, the Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed two of the men were from Guatemala.
“Two Guatemalans, 26 and 35 years old, originally from San Luis, Petén and Camotán, Chiquimula, respectively; are missing after the accident that occurred early this Tuesday, March 26, when a cargo ship lost control on the Patapsco River, colliding with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”
The nonprofit organization CASA identified one of the missing members from El Salvador as Miguel Luna, a husband and father of three who was in Maryland for 19 years.
On Tuesday evening, in a statement to the Associated Press, Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said:
"This was so completely unforeseen. We don't know what else to say. We take such great pride in safety, and we have cones and signs and lights and barriers and flaggers. But we never foresaw that the bridge would collapse."
What we know about the Baltimore Bridge collapse
The cargo ship Dali, which was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and flying under a Singapore flag, reportedly lost power and rammed into the bridge in Baltimore.
ABC News, citing an unclassified US intelligence report, said the ship “lost propulsion” as it was leaving port, and its crew immediately notified Maryland officials they had lost control of the vessel before colliding with one of the central supports of the bridge. Officials immediately blocked traffic and prevented additional casualties in the incident.
Authorities said all 22 crew members and the two pilots in the ship were uninjured in the incident.
