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Baltimore bridge collapse: 2 bodies found in submerged truck; new details emerge
The ship rammed into the major bridge, causing it to collapse in a matter of seconds and creating a terrifying scene.
The bodies of two construction workers were found in the cold waters of Baltimore Harbour submerged in their red pickup truck after a cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing a catastrophic collapse. The two men were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, a native of Mexico, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, originally from Guatemala.
Maryland State Police Colonel Roland Butler said a red pickup truck containing the bodies of the two men was found in about 25 feet of water near the mid-section of the fallen bridge.
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Maryland authorities, faced with the grim task of recovery, announced that six of the eight-man crew were presumed dead, with four still missing amid the wreckage. Sonar scans revealed additional vehicles trapped in the twisted steel debris, prompting a shift from rescue to salvage operations.
"Based on sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are encased in the superstructure and concrete that we tragically saw come down," Butler told a press conference.
The container ship, Dali, bound for Sri Lanka, had lost power moments before the collision with the support column of the bridge, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Although the vessel's crew managed to issue a mayday call, the warning came too late for the workers above. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Peter Gautier assured that the ship posed no environmental threat, despite carrying hazardous cargo including billion and a half gallons of oil.
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National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) personnel recovered the ship's data record, or black box, which they hope will help piece together a precise timeline of the accident.
New details emerged from recordings of radio chatter by authorities after they were alerted that the cargo ship Dali was drifting out of control toward Key Bridge.
"Hold all traffic on the Key Bridge. There's a ship approaching that just lost their steering," someone is heard saying over a police radio minutes before the 1:30 a.m. crash on Tuesday.
While voices were heard discussing next steps, including alerting any work crews to leave the bridge, one broke through to say: "The whole bridge just fell down!" The audio was carried by Broadcastify, an open-source audio streaming service.
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NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy told a press briefing that the investigation into the incident may take 12 to 24 months to complete.
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge indefinitely shuttered the bustling Port of Baltimore, a vital cog in the machinery of trade along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. The port's cease in operations was particularly impactful, given its handling of a staggering volume of automobile and farm equipment freight, surpassing that of any other port in the country, reported Reuters.
(compiled from AFP, Reuters)
