Recovery efforts resumed in Maryland on Wednesday for the six people presumed dead after the tragic collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Six construction workers went missing after a 985-foot-long vessel struck the bridge early on Tuesday and sent parts of it tumbling down into the Patapsco River. The workers were originally from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, according to reports.
One of the men was identified as 49-year-old Miguel Luna, a husband and father of three from El Salvador who called Maryland his home for nearly two decades. He was among the crew of construction workers fixing potholes on the bridge when the collapse took place.
Miguel Luna's wife said she's "devastated" as the family waits for answers
Image credits: Marlene Angela
Miguel, who left home on Monday at around 6:30 p.m., never returned and is now among the list of missing workers following the collapse.
His wife María del Carmen Castellón, 44, is desperately waiting for answers as recovery efforts continue.
“They only tell us that we have to wait, that for now, they can't give us information. [We feel] devastated, devastated because our heart is broken, because we don't know if they've rescued them yet. We're just waiting to hear any news,” Maria was quoted telling Telemundo 44.
Another victim, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, 38, was also identified as one among the six missing workers.
Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, a father of two, was also among the six workers who went missing after the bridge collapse
Image credits: Baltimore Highlandtown Gdm
A native of Honduras, Maynor was a married man and father to an 18-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter. He has been living in the U.S. for about 18 years, his brother Martin Suazo told CNN.
A family friend wrote a touching message as a tribute to Maynor on social media.
“Maynor Suazo was a guy with warmth, quality of people, entrepreneur with a vision and mission to serve our community,” the message said.
The six workers were filing potholes on the bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning when the collapse took place
Image credits: Baltimore Highlandtown Gdm
Maynor and the five other missing construction workers were employed by a local contractor named Brawner Builders, which takes on maintenance contracts on bridges in the state of Maryland.
Jeffrey Pritzker, a senior executive at Brawner Builders, said they take great pride in safety precautions but never foresaw a bridge collapse.
“This was so completely unforeseen,” Jeffrey said. “We don’t know what else to say. We take such great pride in safety, and we have cones and signs and lights and barriers and flaggers. But we never foresaw that the bridge would collapse.”
People were saddened by the news and said it's "absolutely heartbreaking"
