Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Fatalities Confirmed To Be Citizens From Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras
The governments of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have confirmed that the six workers who died in the Baltimore bridge collapse were citizens of their countries. This comes as two bodies have been recovered while four remain missing and are already presumed dead because of how cold the water is and how long it has been since they fell into the water.
Guatemala has already confirmed that two of its citizens were among the eight workers on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland working on potholes. They fell into the water when a cargo ship struck the bridge, leading to its collapse. The incident has already led to misinformation and conspiracy theories, especially from right-wing outlets and personalities.
Of the eight people who fell, two were rescued, while another two have been recovered. Recovery efforts for the other four are still ongoing, with their relatives waiting anxiously for news about the search.
Martín Suazo Sandoval, brother of one of the missing workers, who owns a small hotel in Honduras, spoke with the Associated Press about the missing Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, 38. He stated that his brother "always dreamed of having his own business." Another brother noted that he wanted to retire one day in Guatemala.
Meanwhile, Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador stated that three of the workers were Mexican. One of them was rescued but was injured, while the other two are still missing. He then blasted US politicians on the right, saying, "This demonstrates that migrants go out and do risky jobs at midnight. And for this reason, they do not deserve to be treated as they are by certain insensitive, irresponsible politicians in the United States."
El Salvador's foreign minister, Alexandra Hill Tinoco, identified one of the still-missing workers as Miguel Luna on social media.
Cargo Ship Lost Power Before Crashing Into Francis Scott Key Bridge, Causing Baltimore Bridge Collapse
The Dali is a Singapore-flagged ship that was supposed to travel from he port of Baltimore to Sri Lanka in 27 days. However, as it was leaving port, it lost all its power and crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the Baltimore bridge collapse.
According to the BBC, the vessel was essentially dead when it crashed into the bridge as it had no electronics and engine power and was adrift and powerless to stop the crash. Nobody aboard died, but the crew was able to send a mayday and warned authorities that the ship may crash into the bridge.
This quick action led Baltimore authorities to completely close the bridge off and save many lives. However, the eight workers from Mexico and Central America still fell into the water, along with several cars.
Ship in Baltimore Bridge Collapse Was Cleared and Passed Inspections
Meanwhile, the ship losing power soon after leaving port raised many questions. This includes the question of why it lost power and why it was allowed to leave port.
The Dali was in the port of Baltimore to fix a "faulty monitor gauge for fuel pressure." According to Al Jazeera, the ship passed inspections before the incident. In fact, it underwent two separate foreign port state inspections in June and September 2023.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: The Baltimore bridge collapse was 'completely preventable,' says Donald Broughton - CNBC Television
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