COLLAPSE HORROR
First victims named as police search for bodies of six construction workers
THE quick-thinking cargo ship pilot at the centre of the Baltimore bridge tragedy saved countless lives by raising the alarm, it emerged yesterday.
Six construction workers are presumed dead after the 95,000-tonne Dali slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the small hours of Tuesday, causing it to collapse.
But the toll could have been greater had the pilot not issued an urgent warning when his ship lost power, enabling police to close the bridge 90 seconds before the collision.
Clay Diamond, executive director of the
American Pilots’ Association, said the heroic pilot also tried to take evasive action. He said:
“These are among the most highly trained mariners in the world.”
The workers were filling in potholes on the bridge when the Dali struck at 1.28am.
A long span of the 1.6-mile bridge, a major link in the region’s transport network, crumpled into the Patapsco River in Maryland.
Two of the eight men who went into the water were rescued, but the other six are still missing. One was named as father-of-two Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, 37, from Honduras. Another was identified as dad-ofthree Miguel Luna, 49, from El Salvador, who had lived in the Maryland city for 19 years.
His son, Marvin Luna, knew his father was on the bridge but did not know it had collapsed until friends called him and said: “The bridge is gone.”
Men from Mexico and Guatemala are also among the missing. They were working for construction firm Brawner Builders.
Jeffrey Pritzker, the company’s executive vice-president, said: “This was completely unforeseen. We don’t know what else to say. We take great pride in safety, and we have cones, signs, lights, barriers, and flaggers.”
Jesus Campos, who has worked on the bridge and knows members of the crew, said he was told they were on a break and some were in their trucks.
He added: “I know that a month ago, I was there, and I know what it feels like when the trailers pass.
“Imagine knowing that it is falling. It is so hard. One would not know what to do.”
The collision happened after the Dali completely lost engine power, leaving the crew unable to avert disaster. “The whole bridge just fell down,” a frantic officer said. “Start whoever, everybody ... the whole bridge just collapsed.”
Police were continuing to search for bodies yesterday, and said there is no evidence anyone went into the water other than the workers. One truck was recovered from the water yesterday, but at least one vehicle remains hanging from the bridge.