On Tuesday night, a 985-foot-long cargo ship and six construction workers were killed when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed due to a collision.
Dorian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk, and Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, were found in the frigid waters.
The whereabouts of the other four fatalities, including Owings Mills residents Miguel Luna, 40, and Maynor Suazo Sandoval, 34, are unknown at this time.
Luna and Sandoval were very involved with Casa, a group that helps low-income and immigrant families.
All of the missing construction workers from the Baltimore bridge collapse had previously lived in the Maryland region; they were all originally from Mexico or Central America.
Just seconds before a cargo ship struck one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, sending the span tumbling into the cold Patapsco River, police were able to stop bridge traffic. But workers fixing potholes on the bridge couldn’t have gotten to safety in time.
Two individuals managed to get out of the water after eight others fell. Wednesday saw the continuation of the search for the other six, who are now missing and believed dead.
Officials looking into the bridge collapse revealed this week that El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala were the six victims’ home nations. Workers’ immigration status is not made public, but according to CASA officials, many construction workers are immigrants who have legal status and do not have work permits.
Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, 39, is the youngest of eight siblings. He is from Azacualpa and came to the United States eighteen years ago, seeking a better life. On Wednesday, while standing in front of the family’s modest hotel in Honduras, one of his brothers, Martín Suazo Sandoval, stated that he entered the country illegally and eventually lived in Maryland, where he eventually established a company. According to him, his brother was an entrepreneur and a diligent worker.
He was followed north by other relatives and siblings.
Brawner Builders was doing repairs on the bridge when it collapsed. Maynor was forced to find new employment due to the epidemic. He joined their team.
The news of Maynor’s death was broken to his family by his employer, Martín Suazo Sandoval. Upon confirmation of the worst-case scenario, his family will endeavor to have his remains returned to Honduras.
One Mexican was hurt but rescued, while two others remain missing, according to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has verified that two nationals are among the missing individuals. One Salvadoran citizen, Miguel Luna, was among the workers who went missing, according to El Salvador’s foreign minister, Alexandra Hill Tinoco, who wrote on X on Wednesday.
