Categories: USA

Who are the 6 victims of the Baltimore Bridge collapse?

(CNN) — They worked the night shift repairing potholes on Baltimore’s famous Francis Scott Key Bridge, which 30,000 Marylanders relied on every day. But their work ended in disaster early Tuesday morning, when a cargo ship weighing more than 96,600 tons collided with the bridge, plunging construction workers into the dangerously cold water.

After a day of searching, officials called off the rescue mission and left the workers for dead. After several hours survival in the 15-meter-deep icy water was virtually impossible, and it was too dangerous for divers to navigate the dark waters among the sharp debris.

Since then, two bodies have been recovered, those of Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes of Mexico and Dorlian Roniel Castillo Cabrera of Guatemala, found in a pickup truck in the water, Maryland State Police said Wednesday.

Now, grief transcends boundaries.

“We know our people are involved,” said Rafael LaVega, head of the Mexican Embassy in Washington’s consular section. “It was a team that was repairing parts of potholes on the bridge, and they are the ones who are going to rebuild the bridge: Latinos.”

The six construction workers were immigrants from four different countries: Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, and Guatemala. These are some of their stories:

A father of two who worked multiple jobs

Manor Yasir Suazo Sandoval is survived by his wife and two children, according to his brother. (Credit: Martin Suazzo)

Manor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, 38, was one of the construction workers who went missing after the bridge collapsed, his brother Martin Suazo told CNN.

Family members in Baltimore called Martin Suazzo early Tuesday to report that his brother was missing, Suazzo said.

Manor Suazo was originally from Santa Barbara, Honduras, but moved to the United States in search of a better life, according to his brother. Manor had lived in the United States for 18 years. They were married and had two children: an 18-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter, according to Martin Suazzo.

Besides working as a construction worker, Sandoval was also an entrepreneur who built a maintenance company, his brother said.

Suazo, who lives in Honduras, added that her family is grateful for support from the FBI, the Honduran Embassy in Washington and the governor of Maryland, who pledged to do everything possible to find and recover the bodies.

Suazo said his family was clinging to hope of finding his brother alive.

Manor Suazo, who leaves behind seven siblings, was described by his brother Carlos Suazo Sandoval, who lives in Baltimore, as a kind and cheerful person who had a “vision.”

“Until this moment we still believe, God gives a miracle, it will be beautiful,” Carlos told CNN en Español’s Maria Santana this Wednesday. “We still have hope, I know time is our worst enemy,” he said.

The Suazo family’s priority is to find Menor’s body, then they can worry about other things, including the financial burden Manor’s family will face and breaking the painful news to his 72-year-old mother in Honduras.

Carlos Suazo said the family plans to repatriate the body if found.

“They’ve got cars, but they haven’t moved any cars yet because there’s a lot of steel structure, and they have to be careful because they’re human,” Carlos Suazo said.

“Even if they are lifeless, we need family members to at least look at their bodies and give them to my family, to their entire family, to the people of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and in this case. Of us, that we are Hondurans,” he added.

A father of three who had lived in Maryland for 19 years

Miguel is Lu’s husband and father of three children. (Acquired by CNN)

Miguel Luna was also on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed Tuesday, according to a statement from CASA, a nonprofit that provides essential services to immigrant and working-class families.

“Sadly, we learned that one of the construction workers involved is a longtime member of our CASA family, which adds an even deeper level of sadness to this already painful situation,” CASA CEO, Gustavo Torres, said in a statement.

“Miguel Luna, of El Salvador, left for work at 6:30 p.m. Monday and… did not return home. He is a husband, father of three and calls Maryland home for over 19 years,” the statement said.

“The entire Baltimore region and the CASA family mourn this tragedy,” Torres said. “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and everyone affected by this horrific accident.”

CNN has attempted to contact Luna’s family members for more information.

CASA said it is working to provide humanitarian assistance as families cope with the tragedy and seek answers about their missing loved ones.



Ratneshwar Roychowdhury, a frequent customer of Luna’s wife’s food truck, said he last saw her pumping gas on Saturday. Since Luna was not fluent in English, they communicated through a translation app.

“It’s very sad. Knowing him for about a year and a half … it’s very disappointing for everybody,” Roychowdhury told CNN, standing outside a food truck in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

“I really feel for his family. He has… family here and takes care of them all. “It’s very sad for his family to know he’s gone.”

A man dreams of helping his family

Dorlian Castillo Cabrera was identified as one of the missing Guatemalan workers after the bridge collapse in Baltimore. (Credit: Dorlian Castillo)

Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, from Guatemala, was another worker who was on the bridge when it collapsed.

Cabrera’s sister-in-law, Pima Castillo, said he worked at Browner Builders for at least three years and loved his job. He was not married and had no children, she said.

His cousin Marlon Castillo told CNN that Cabrera came to the United States to follow his dreams and help his mother.

“Unfortunately I was in a place where no one could have imagined what was going to happen,” said Marlon Castillo.

His body was found.

A family man who leaves a huge ‘void’

In Dundalk, Maryland, Owls Corner Cafe is supporting one of its employees whose husband, Jose Minor Lopez, is missing after a bridge collapse.

Lopez’s wife, Isabel Franco, works at the cafe, according to owner Lily Ordonez.

The company started a GoFundMe page for Franco and his family, writing that Lopez’s family now faces an “uncertain future” without their “main provider and pillar of strength.”

“(Lopez) worked tirelessly to make sure his family had everything they needed,” according to the GoFundMe page. “His sudden absence has left a void that cannot be filled emotionally or financially.”

CNN has sought confirmation from local authorities that Lopez is among the missing.

Mexicans are among the victims

Two Mexicans are among the victims of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, as confirmed this Wednesday by the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The president said the injured person had been rescued and was “safe”.

The President expressed regret for what happened and assured that, although he knows who and where they are from, he will not share information at the request of the families who are “highly sought after” by the media. From the Mexican government, “they are being supported,” he added.

López Obrador highlighted that there are other missing people who are “brothers from Central American countries” and that “most of the people who are missing are migrants,” so this incident shows that “migrants go to work in the middle of the night, a very dangerous job. .” . Mexico’s president pointed out that “that’s why they don’t deserve to be treated like some irresponsible and insensitive politicians in general.”

— This is a developing story and will be updated.

— CNN’s Tina Burnside, Yvonne Valdes and Abel Alvarado contributed to this report.

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