Baltimore bridge collapse: What we know about six presumed dead

Six construction workers are presumed dead after a massive cargo ship slammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge early Tuesday morning, causing it to collapse.

The container ship MV Dali struck one of the bridge’s main support columns around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, prompting the entire main span and three adjacent spans to fall into the Patapsco River.

The Coast Guard ended its 18-hour search-and-rescue mission Tuesday night for the six missing construction workers who were repairing potholes on the bridge at the time of its collapse.

Two additional workers were rescued from the water, one with severe injuries and the other without any injuries, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said.

Here’s what know about the victims: 

The victims were employees of Brawner Builders

The Associated Press reported that Brawner Builders Executive Vice President Jeffrey Pritzker said Tuesday that six of its workers who were working on the bridge were presumed dead with another injured. 

“This was so completely unforeseen,” Pritzker 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.”

Jesus Campos, an employee of the company, said all the workers on the bridge had families and were between the ages of 45 to 60. 

“When he told me that, they came to mind and I was praying to God that nothing had happened to them,” Campos told the AP, speaking in Spanish.

“It is so hard for me to describe. 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,” Campos said.

The Hill has reached out to the company for more information.

The six victims are from different countries

The victims are from Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, according to diplomats and local nonprofit organizations. 

The Embassy of Mexico in the U.S. said in a statement that the six workers missing include Mexican, Guatemalan and Salvadoran people. 

CASA — a nonprofit that works with immigrant families — identified Miguel Luna as one of the victims in the bridge collapse. The group said Luna, a father of three, was from El Salvador and has called Maryland his home for 19 years.

“Sadly, we discovered that one of the construction workers involved was a longtime member of our CASA family, adding an even deeper layer of sorrow to this already grievous situation,” CASA Executive Director Gustavo Torres said in a statement. 

Maryland governor says he has spoken with the families

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said that he has spoken with the victims of the families and announced Tuesday that the state flag has been lowered to half-staff.

“The hearts of every Marylander are with the families of those affected by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. We have spoken to the families, prayed with them, and assured them that our state will mobilize every resource to bring them closure,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The Associated Press contributed.