Rescue personnel gather on the shore of the Patapsco River after a container ship ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing its collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 26 March 2024.Photo:JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The six construction workers who arepresumed deadfollowing theFrancis Scott Key Bridge collapseon Tuesday are being remembered as “fine people.”
Officials said the workers were on the Baltimore bridge, which sat over the Patapsco River, when a container ship collided with the structure around 1:30 a.m. local time, causing it to crumble. Their bodies have yet to be found.
Among those reported missing after the incident are two fathers, according to the nonprofit organizationCASA: father of three Miguel Luna, from El Salvador, and father of two Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, from Honduras.
In a statement shared Tuesday on Brawner Builders’website, owner Jack Murphy said the crew “was doing bridge maintenance work on the surface of the bridge” when the crash and subsequent collapse occurred.
“Unfortunately, this tragic event was completely unforeseen and was not something that we could imagine would happen,” Murphy said in the statement.
“Our company is in mourning over the loss of these fine people. But of course, our sense of loss cannot in any way compare to what their families are feeling," he added.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge rests partially collapsed after a cargo ship ran into it in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 26 March 2024.JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Murphy claimed safety “has always been a prime consideration” for workers with Brawn Builders, and added that “we have always taken every step necessary to provide safety for our workers in this dangerous occupation.”
“Highway workers are engaged in one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States and yet they go out every day on our highways to make things better for everyone,” he explained.
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The Brawner Builders’ owner offered prayers to the families of those who are believed to have died, as well as the individual who was hospitalized after the incident.
“We pray for a full recovery,” he added.
The cargo ship Dali sits in the water after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.Tasos Katopodis/Getty
Tasos Katopodis/Getty
On Wednesday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced onCBS Morningsthat he hasmet with the familiesof the six construction workers presumed dead following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
“They received the worst news that they could have possibly received,” the governor said. “When their family members left to go to work, they never imagined that the result would be … a bridge collapsed and now their family member’s missing.”
More than $39,000 has been raised through aGoFundMe campaignfor the Latino Racial Justice Circle, which aims to assist the families of the individuals who are presumed dead.
source: people.com
