On Friday, the body of the third construction worker was reclaimed in the Baltimore bridge collapse after 11 days. The body of the 38-year-old construction worker was identified as Maynor Yasir-Suazo Sandoval who was found near the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Harbor, Maryland.
The recovery operation was done by a group of divers on Friday at around 10:30 am which proved to be disastrous as it ended in taking 6 lives to a challenging 11-day rescue.
The workforce team also included the team who was in charge of building the bridge with the major challenge of working through the potholes and craters.
How Did The Baltimore Bridge Collapse?
On 26th March at around 1:28 a.m., the main sections and three nearest north-east sections of the Francis Scott Key Bridge across the Patapsco River which is located in the Baltimore’s metropolitan area of Maryland crumbled after MV Dali, a container ship struck one of the piers.
The Francis Scoot Key Bridge was an arch-shaped continuous truss bridge made of steel and it is the second longest bridge in the US and third longest in the whole world. The bridge was completed in 1977, the bridge extended northeast from Hawkins Point in Baltimore to Sollers Point in Dundalk, Baltimore County in Maryland. The bridge also ran the Interstate 695 a beltway around Baltimore which was used by some 34,000 vehicles every day before being damaged.
It is also the second largest US port for coal after Hampton Roads port in Norfolk, Virginia, and the main port for light automobiles and trucks for 13 years straight. 15,000 people worked on the bridge and also supported 140,000 others as additional workers.
The bridge collapse incident happened when MV Dali, a container ship which was operated by Synergy Marine Group and owned by the Grace Ocean Private Ltd in Singapore lost control of its propulsion and vessel and struck the bridge.
MV Dali is a Neopanamax vessel which was completed in 2015 with a length of 980 feet (300 m), a 157-foot (48 m) beam, and a 40-foot (12.2 m) draft.
The ship was operated by 20 Indian people and a Sri Lankan. Before the incident, MV Dali left the port of Baltimore to bound for the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo but at around 1:24 a.m. the ship suffered a complete blackout and began to wander out of the shipping lane.
The backup generator of the ship did not provide any power to the propulsion system so an emergency call was made by the ship to the Maryland Department of Transportation that the collision to the bridge was possible as the crew had lost its power and control to the vessel.
After the incident, two people was rescued from the river in which one had no injuries while the other one was transported to the nearby hospital in serious condition. Six maintenance crew people working in the road were also reported missing in which three bodies were found while the other three was presumed dead.
A resident living around the area and near the bridge stated that he ‘felt like an earthquake.’
Authorities shares condolences
The Superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, Colonel Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr grived about the situation and stated that ‘The collapse of the Key Bridge is undoubtedly one of the most challenging tragedies we have faced as a law enforcement agency.’
He further assured everyone and stated that ‘Along with our local, state and federal public safety partners, we will not give up. There are families still waiting to hear if we have found their loved one. I can promise you, we are fully committed to finding closure for each of these families.’
Thankful to all of the first responders who have helped bring Maynor Suazo-Sandoval home to his family. We will continue to support these families, bring them closure, and provide whatever they need to persevere through this unthinkable tragedy. pic.twitter.com/rHR5cpAO13
— Brandon M. Scott (@MayorBMScott) April 6, 2024
While the Mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott stated that ‘This evening the Unified Command announced that divers were able to bring Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, one of the remaining missing workers, home to his family. While I take solace in knowing this brings us one step closer to closure, my heart continues to be with all the families still waiting anxiously for their loved ones.’
Police to release the details of the Recovery Soon
The Baltimore police has not released any details regarding the recovery of the third worker Maynor Yasir-Suazo Sandova and where he was precisely found. Sando Suazo was among those who first fell into the river when the cargo ship MV Dali crashed with the bridge.
The US Army Corps of Engineer who is working around the clock to recover the victim’s bodies stated the recovery mission as ‘very difficult and challenging.’
