Body of sixth person killed in Baltimore bridge collapse recovered, authorities say

می 8, 2024

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Rescuers recovered the body of the sixth – and believed to be the last – victim died in the collapse of the Baltimore bridge on March 26authorities said Tuesday, marking a somber milestone in the weeks-long recovery operation that followed the disaster.

The victim has been identified as 37-year-old Jose Minor Lopez of Baltimore, Maryland.

CNN previously reported that Lopez has three children and is the primary provider for his family.

The freighter Dali ran aground under part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. (AP)

“Maryland State Police investigators, along with an FBI victim specialist and linguist, and a team of mental health professionals notified family members after confirming a positive identification,” the Joint Command, a joint task force made up of police, Coast Guard and other government agencies to respond to the disaster, it said in a statement online

Flowers are seen at a memorial to the construction workers who lost their lives in the collapse. (AP)

The six construction workers are immigrants from four countries – Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico and Guatemala. Besides Lopez, they include 49-year-old Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez; Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35; Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26; 38-year-old Mayor Yasir Suazo Sandoval; and Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella, according to authorities.

A GoFundMe set up in March for Lopez’s widow and her family says they now face an “uncertain future” without their “main provider and pillar of strength.”

“(Lopez) has worked tirelessly to make sure his family has everything they need,” according to the GoFundMe page, which no longer appears to be active. “His sudden absence has left a void that cannot be filled, both emotionally and financially.

Both the recovery process and the work to remove the debris from the bridge collapse site have been incredibly difficult tasks, state and federal leaders said.

In April, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it plans to fully open the “700-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep federal navigation channel” leading to Baltimore Harbor by the end of this month.

A vessel, center right, moves past the stranded container ship Dali, through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore after being stranded in the harbor after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo /Matt Rourke) (AP)

On Monday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore hosted federal officials on a tour of current canal operations.

“Securing federal funding to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge—fundamental to rebuilding the traffic system for the greater Baltimore region and a primary route for all hazardous materials traveling along the I-95 corridor—is critical to addressing the economic , the social and community impacts that have been felt throughout the state, region and country since the bridge collapsed,” Moore’s office said in a statement.

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“Governor Moore has repeatedly engaged with Maryland’s federal delegation and critical members of Congress to help secure full federal support for recovery.”

So far, Maryland has received $60 million in emergency funds for the project, the office said.

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