The wreckage of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, which succumbed to a catastrophic failure, revealed another victim on Friday morning, revealed officials. The deceased worker has been identified as Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, aged 38. The news of his discovery was revealed by local enforcement agencies, who located him with the help of divers.
Superintendent of Maryland state police, Roland L Butler Jr, stated that the bridge disaster represents one of the most severe incidents they have had to respond to. He confirmed their commitment alongside the associated local, federal and state safety organisations, to persist in their search operations.
Authorities reported that the body of Suazo Sandoval was found around 10:30 am. This event unfolded just a few hours before the U.S. President, Joe Biden, visited the disaster scene and met with the families of the victims. Three more victims are still missing, over a week after the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River.
Baltimore’s mayor, Brandon Scott, responded to the tragic event, expressing his heart’s sympathy for the families still anxiously awaiting news about their missing loved ones.
The victims were part of a construction team working on the Baltimore roadway, till the tragic morning of March 26th, when their path was intercepted by a stray cargo ship. Out of the eight workers present, two managed to escape the calamity, while the other six went missing – presumed dead by dusk.
The very next day, the bodies of two workers were found in a submerged red pickup, but finding the remaining victims prove to be a much greater challenge due to the underwater debris.
Divers have had to scour the bridge’s ruins, facing severe visibility issues in the cloudy waters, causing difficulties in seeing even just two feet ahead. The disintegrated structures, comprising distorted steel and fragmented concrete, have required sonar assistance in the devastating rescue mission. Despite the magnitude of the task, the recovery efforts are an integral part of the process, as affirmed by Estee S Pinchasin of the Army Corps of Engineers, during a press conference held on Thursday.
The identities of the six deceased men have been disclosed by officials, family members or support groups. The fatalities include Suazo Sandoval from Honduras, Guatemalan Jose López in his thirties, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes (35) and Carlos Hernández (24) both from Mexico, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera (26) from Guatemala, and Miguel Luna, a man in his forties from El Salvador. The remains of Fuentes and Cabrera were discovered on 27th March.
Labouring into the late hours, these men were dedicated to ensuring that the Key Bridge remained accessible for numerous Maryland residents commuting to work. “But they didn’t return home,” stated Lucía Islas, a local leader and chair of Comité Latino de Baltimore, a charity assisting the Hispanic community.
In the aftermath of the incident, the friends and family of the victims remain burdened with unresolved queries, shared Donna Batkis, a practising social worker within Baltimore who has been supporting the affected families.
The families of the men who are still unaccounted for are grappling with the uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts of their loved ones. “Being in limbo is incredibly difficult,” remarked Batkis.
Governor Wes Moore has committed, time and again, to aiding the mourning families. “We will stop at nothing,” he proclaimed at the Thursday press briefing, “to bring these families the peace they need.”