The bodies of two people have been discovered in a red pickup truck which was found in the river where the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed.
The bridge collapsed after a Singapore-flagged container ship named the DALI crashed into it at 1:30AM local time on Tuesday, March 26.
The ship is said to have lost power and collided with one of the bridge’s pillars, immediately destroying the central and southern components of the structure and sending a number of vehicles into the Patapsco River as a result.
Soon after, the northern component of the bridge also collapsed, resulting in a complete end to the 47-year-old bridge.
Two people were rescued, with one said to be “severely” injured and the other in critical condition, according to authorities who set up a press conference over the ordeal.
Construction workers had been working to fix potholes on the bridge for Brawner Builders. Six of the workers are missing and presumed dead following the catastrophic bridge collapse.
Earlier this week, two of the six missing men were named as 49-year-old Miguel Luna and 37-year-old Maynard Sandoval.
On Wednesday (March 27), it was reported by multiple outlets including BBC News and the Washington Post that two bodies have been recovered, with four bodies still missing. This came nearly 35 hours after the deadly crash.
The bodies have been identified as construction workers 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, of Baltimore, and 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera of Dundalk, Md.
Authorities decided to call off recovery efforts for the remaining victims as the conditions were deemed not sufficiently safe for divers to navigate the wreckage. A salvage operation is now in place.
“Because of the superstructure surrounding what we believe were the vehicles and the amount of concrete and debris, divers are no longer able to safely navigate and operate around that,” said Col Roland Butler, the superintendent of Maryland State Police, via CNN. “We have exhausted all search efforts.”
Sonar has detected additional vehicles close to the underwater rubble, according to information from authorities at a news conference on Wednesday evening.
The superintendent went on to say that following sonar scans, authorities believe that the vehicles are "encased in the superstructure and concrete" of the bridge.
He emphasized that there is "no definitive timeline" for the salvage phase. When it is complete, the team of divers will return to the site.
“The sonar simply said they cannot get to that area because it was fully encased in the superstructure," he said. “Once that salvage effort takes place and that superstructure is removed, those same divers are going to go back out there and bring those people closure."
Shortly after the crash, Kevin Cartwright of the Baltimore Fire Department referred to the ordeal as a "mass casualty" event. He told CNN: "We are in the midst of managing a mass casualty multi-agency incident here. Unfortunately, we understand that there are up to 20 individuals who may be in the Patapsco river as well as multiple vehicles."
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