Recovery operations resumed in Maryland on Wednesday (March 27) as efforts continued to locate the six individuals presumed dead in the aftermath of the tragic collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.
However, the US Coast Guard has now stated that it has concluded the men have died and that it intends to suspend its massive search and rescue effort.
One of the individuals identified was 49-year-old Miguel Luna, a husband and father of three originally from El Salvador, who had called Maryland his home for nearly twenty years. Luna was part of the crew tasked with repairing potholes on the bridge when the collapse occurred, the BBC detailed.
Miguel Luna’s wife, María del Carmen Castellón, expressed her devastation as the family anxiously awaited news amidst ongoing recovery efforts.
“They only tell us that we have to wait, that for now, they can’t give us information. [We feel] devastated, devastated because our heart is broken, because we don’t know if they’ve rescued them yet. We’re just waiting to hear any news,” Maria lamented in an interview with Telemundo 44.
Another victim, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, 38, was also identified among the missing workers. Hailing from Honduras, Maynor was a married father of an 18-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter. He had resided in the US for about eighteen years, according to his brother Martin Suazo.
The six workers, including Maynor, were engaged in pothole repair activities on the bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning when the collapse transpired. They were employed by local contractor Brawner Builders, which undertakes maintenance contracts for bridges in Maryland.
Jeffrey Pritzker, a senior executive at Brawner Builders, expressed profound shock at the unforeseen nature of the incident, emphasizing the company’s commitment to safety.
“This was so completely unforeseen,” Jeffrey remarked. “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.”
Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those missing and presumed dead.