For Divers at Collapse Scene, a 'Treacherous Situation'

The search for the 6 people missing continues Wednesday
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 27, 2024 9:07 AM CDT
What We Know About the Bridge Collapse Victims
A container ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Baltimore, Md. Recovery efforts resumed Wednesday for the construction workers who are presumed dead after the cargo ship hit a pillar of the bridge, causing the structure to collapse.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The search continues Wednesday for six presumed victims in the Baltimore bridge collapse, with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore describing the "treacherous situation" faced by divers on the scene. "We're talking about frigid temperatures, we're talking about a moving tide, we're talking about darkness and mangled metal, that's still very much in the middle of this water," Moore told CBS News. The water temperature in the Patapsco River is about 48 degrees. More:

  • Underwater drones: Maryland Rep. David Trone told CBS News that underwater drones will assist in the search below what remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge; they have the ability to zero in on submerged vehicles, one of which authorities believe may contain victims.

  • The missing: Eight construction workers had been fixing potholes on the bridge at the time of the collapse; two survived after being pulled from the river. The remaining six are presumed dead. The AP reports the workers had reportedly been on a break at the time of the collapse, with some said to be sitting in their trucks.
  • What's known about them: CNN has details: Miguel Luna, a father of three, hails from El Salvador but has lived in Maryland for two decades. Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, a father of two from Honduras, has similarly called the state home for 18 years. Guatemala has confirmed that two of its citizens are among the missing. A Mexican Embassy official also said Mexican nationals were among the lost, though a count was not specified.
  • Standout quote: From Moore, on the presumed victims, "These were fathers, and these were sons, and these were husbands, and these were people that their families relied on."
  • Timeline: Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transport Safety Board, tells NBC News that the Dali cargo ship's voyage data recorder has been recovered, but that is just one step in a very long process. Per Homendy, the investigation could take as long as two years.
(More Baltimore bridge collapse stories.)

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