BALTIMORE — The bodies of two men were found Wednesday within the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, more than one day after it was toppled by a malfunctioning cargo ship that crashed into a support column.
The two victims — Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk — were discovered around 10 a.m. Wednesday inside a red pickup truck roughly 25 feet underneath the water’s surface, according to Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., the secretary of Maryland State Police.
Col. Butler said the recovery operation will enter the next phase of removing bridge debris and some vehicles apparently trapped in the collapsed structure from the ship channel.
“We have exhausted all search efforts in the areas around this wreckage,” Col. Butler said. “Based on sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are encased in superstructure and concrete that we tragically saw come down.”
The victims were part of the eight-man construction crew who went down with the bridge when it collapsed early Tuesday. Two workers who survived the collapse were pulled from the water shortly after the structure crumbled.
The toll could have been significantly higher, but police at both ends of the Key Bridge scrambled to stop traffic on the doomed span after port authorities were alerted to a 1:30 a.m. mayday call from cargo ship Dali.
SEE ALSO: Key Bridge collapse closes Baltimore’s busy economic artery to shipping traffic
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said their quick action — officers had about 90 seconds to wave down drivers — saved several people from disaster.
Mr. Fuentes and Mr. Cabrera are the only victims identified so far in the wreck. Officials said six were killed.
Mr. Moore said the victims came from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. He said search efforts will continue as rescuers hope to find more clues about the victims’ fate.
“We need to bring a sense of closure and comfort to the families, and we take that very seriously,” Mr. Moore said.
The murky waters of the Patapsco River are not an ideal place to conduct a search mission, said Matt Skogebo, owner of the local dive training facility Aquanautics.
He said the dive teams are likely working in pairs. One group will go down and investigate an area flagged by sonar. If they find something, he said, they will attach a buoy to it and let another team go and recover what is needed.
The deliberate pace of a recovery mission, combined with falling water temperatures because of rain, means the divers are likely working short shifts. Mr. Skogebo said if the divers aren’t moving much underwater, they could stay below the surface for only about an hour.
A dicey river current and a large debris field make the prospect of recovering the victims uncertain.
“The hope is that they’re there — they’re in that wreckage. But if they’re not, they could be anywhere,” Mr. Skogebo told The Washington Times. “It doesn’t mean they’re not going to be recovered, necessarily, but they might not be at the bridge site. That’s just the reality of the environment there.”
The search has shut down ship traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore — a gut punch to the state and national economy.
Mr. Moore said the port handles more shipments of cars and farm equipment than any other in the country. The port’s $80 billion in foreign cargo received last year was the highest in the country, the governor said.
“The collapse of the Key Bridge is not just a Maryland crisis. The collapse of the Key Bridge is a global crisis,” he said.
Cruise liners are already struggling with the closed harbor.
Carnival Cruise Line said its Carnival Legend ship now will depart from Norfolk, Virginia, instead of Baltimore. A cruise liner scheduled to return Sunday to Baltimore now will dock at Norfolk. Passengers will be bused to Baltimore.
The collapsed bridge has caused major changes in traffic patterns. The Maryland Transportation Authority advises truckers moving hazardous materials to use the western loop of Interstate 695.
The Key Bridge is the quickest way for truckers to move gasoline and other volatile loads around the city. Other routes, such as the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, don’t allow hazardous materials.
It’s also adding costs to hauling companies such as the Texas-based Patriot Freight Group.
Director of Operations Kevin Williams said the longer route means higher pay for truckers, which translates into steeper charges for his company’s clients, who will almost assuredly pass those increases to consumers.
Mr. Williams said more than half of Patriot Freight’s business is transporting hazardous materials — particularly ammunition and perforating guns for oil and gas. Anywhere from 15% to 20% of their hauls take place on the East Coast.
Noting the lack of shipping activity in Baltimore, Mr. Williams said the destroyed bridge “cuts us off at the knees.”
“Nobody really wants to go out there if they can’t find something [to take] out. Otherwise, they’ll have to deadhead — which means, basically, hauling with no freight on your back, so you’re not getting paid for it,” Mr. Williams told The Times. “They’re going to be stuck driving for free for 80 to 100 miles to try to figure out something to haul to get out of there.”
Federal officials boarded the cargo ship Dali on Wednesday morning and obtained the voice recorder black box from the crew.
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy told “CBS Good Morning” that the agency hopes to provide an idea about when exactly the ship lost power and what led up to the collision.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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