TRAGIC FIND
Fourth Baltimore Bridge collapse victim pulled from water as two remain missing three weeks after Maryland tragedy
The victim was identified on Monday
A FOURTH body has been pulled from the water in Baltimore three weeks after a ship hit the Francis Key Scott Bridge and caused it to collapse.
Two construction workers remain missing and are presumed dead after they were plunged into the river during the tragedy in Baltimore, Maryland last month.
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The Unified Command leading recovery efforts after the bridge collapse revealed on Monday that another body was found Sunday.
The victim was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and identified but their name has not been publicly released.
The body was discovered after salvage teams working to retrieve bridge pieces from the water located what was described as "one of the missing construction vehicles."
Divers went into the water and found the victim's body inside the work truck.
“As we mourn the lives lost and continue the recovery operation, we recognize each missing individual is someone’s beloved friend or family member," Colonel Roland L. Butler Jr., the superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, said in a statement.
"Along with all of our allied law enforcement partners, we pledge to exhaust the physical and technical aspects of their training while deploying every available resource possible."
BODIES FOUND
The discovery comes 10 days after the third victim of the tragic bridge collapse was identified.
On April 5, Unified Command revealed that Maynor Suazo-Sandoval, 38, was one of the six construction workers who went missing after the iconic bridge crumpled into the water.
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His body was discovered by dive teams from Unified Command.
The bodies of two other victims, Alejandro Fuentes, 35, from Mexico, and Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, 26, from Guatemala, were recovered on the same day of the tragic incident on March 26.
Divers found them trapped in a submerged vehicle near the bridge's middle span.
The construction workers were said to have been filling potholes on the bridge at the time of the collapse.
Previously, officials revealed that they were still searching for Miguel Luna, 49, Jose Mynor Lopez, 35, and another victim named Carlos.
As we mourn the lives lost and continue the recovery operation, we recognize each missing individual is some’s beloved friend or family member."
Colonel Roland L. Butler Jr., Maryland Department of State Police superintendent
SHOCKING DESTRUCTION
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed at around 1:30 am on March 26 after a cargo ship, MV Dali, crashed into a support pier.
Shocking video of the collapse showed large parts of the bridge crumble and fall into the Patapsco River below.
Rows of cars and trucks were seen plunging into the water, falling around 184 feet.
Mangled pieces of the bridge and wreckage remain poking out from the water.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed after a cargo ship bound for Asia smashed into one of its support pillars:
- On the morning of March 26, the Dali, a 985-foot Singapore-flagged ship, left the Baltimore port as it set sail on its 27-day voyage to Sri Lanka.
- Within minutes, the massive cargo vessel experienced power outages as it crashed into one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
- The immediate impact caused the bridge to snap and tumble into the Patapsco River.
- A team of eight construction workers were making road repairs and filling in potholes on the bridge at the time of the incident.
- Six of the eight workmen who fell into the waters died.
- The victims were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, Miguel Luna, Maynor Suazo Sandoval, Jose Lopez, and Carlos Hernandez - all of whom were Latino immigrants hailing from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
- The two workers recovered from the wreckage were identified as Alejandro Fuentes, 35, from Mexico, and Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, 26, from Guatemala.
- The cause of the crash has yet to be determined.
- President Joe Biden vowed the federal government would pay for the bridge's rebuild.
The massive Singapore-registered cargo ship was seen losing power just minutes before impact.
It was preparing to set sail on a 27-day voyage to Sri Lanka.
The Dali has remained docked at the bridge wreckage since the collapse.
The direct cause of the crash has yet to be identified.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
The FBI has since opened a criminal investigation into the collapse, looking into the 985-foot-long cargo ship itself.
Federal agents were seen boarding the container ship on Monday with a search warrant, according to The Washington Post.
The agency is investigating the events leading up to the bridge collision.
The probe will also look into whether the crew of the ship were aware that the Dali had potential mechanical issues that would have made the vessel dangerous.
The families of the victims found in the wreckage have revealed they plan on conducting their own investigations.
Attorneys Christ Stewart, Daniel Rose, and Kevin Mahoney, who are representing the three identified victims, said on Monday that the families intend to file personal injury claims, according to CBS News.
The attorneys claimed that Grace Ocean Private Limited, the owner of MV Dali, is attempting to limit the compensation they can receive on behalf of their deceased family members.
"Six days is all it took for Grace Ocean to go to federal court and file for protection," Stewart said.
"Grace Ocean is relying on a 173-year-old archaic law to shield them."
Earlier this month, Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine Group, which managed the ship, asked a federal judge to limit their liability in the crash.
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The companies filed a claim in Baltimore's US District Court seeking to be totally removed from liability or to have damages limited, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The attorneys claim this move may limit whether the families of the victims can get a trial by jury in their case, per CBS News.