Maryland State Police Recovers 2 Bodies From Baltimore Harbour

Cargo Ship — Screengrab from video posted on YouTube by NBC News

Maryland’s state police confirmed that the bodies of two individuals in the Key Bridge mishap were recovered from a truck in the collapsed structure’s wreckage.

ANI reported citing authorities that the remains of two individuals were recovered Wednesday from a red pickup that was submerged in the Patapsco River, a day following the incident where a massive container vessel crashed into and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, the relevant authorities informed on March 27, 2024.

The two whose bodies were recovered were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, aged 35, hailing from Baltimore, a Mexico native, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, aged 26, of Dundalk, from Guatemala originally.

At a White House press briefing, federal authorities said that they are balancing efforts to recover the remains of missing men, assess and remove the debris, and relocate the ship before efforts to rebuild the bridge can begin, The Washington Post reported.

Additionally, it is also believed that at least six people, who were the members of a construction team tasked with mending potholes and masonry on the bridge, lost their lives, even though two other workers could be saved.

Jennifer Homendy, the National Transport Safety Board Chair, maintained that the investigators boarded the vessel to recover its data recorder, essentially the black box, and are formulating a timeline of occurrences, per The Washington Post.

Maryland’s Governor Wes Moore has also issued an order to lower Maryland’s flag to half-staff. The directive will continue to be in effect until additional instructions are provided.

On Wednesday, Joe Biden honoured the crew members’ prompt action on the cargo vessel ‘Dali’. The vessel collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, resulting in the bridge collapsing into the river below and multiple individuals and vehicles falling into the water.

Video Credits: NBC News/YouTube

In a statement on Tuesday, the shipping firm Synergy Maritime Group, accountable for managing the Singapore-flagged vessel, disclosed that the 22-member crew of the ship are all Indians.

Crew members on the vessel informed the Maryland Department of Transportation about their loss of control, leading the local authorities to close the bridge to traffic before the accident. President Biden commended the action during his speech at the White House, stating that it “undoubtedly” saved lives.

Furthermore, CNN reported, citing the Chief of the Consular Section associated with Mexico’s Embassy based in Washington, Rafael Laveaga, that among those yet unaccounted for following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are all Mexican citizens.

Of the vessel’s 4,700 cargo containers, 56 had hazardous materials, but there wasn’t any threat to the public. Two containers had gone overboard amid the crash but did not contain dangerous material.

The NTSB will investigate whether the contaminated fuel caused the power loss. The Port of Baltimore handles more automobile freight than any other port in the US—750,000+ vehicles in 2022, per port data—as well as bulk and container cargo ranging from coal to sugar.

Yet logistics specialists and economists doubted the port closure would unleash a significant U.S. supply chain crisis or a prominent spike in commodity prices, owing to the great capacity at rival shipping centres along the Eastern Seaboard.

Reference: Indian Express, Live Mint

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