Mexican authorities identify fourth Key Bridge victim

The fourth person recovered from the wreckage of the Key Bridge collapse has been identified as a 24-year-old Mexican citizen, two days after divers pulled his body from the Patapsco River.

In a tweet, Mexican authorities extended their condolences to Carlos Daniel Hernández’s family and pledged to provide them support. Hernández was one of the six construction workers who fell into the river on March 26 after the cargo ship Dali struck a portion of the bridge, causing it to collapse. Two workers remain missing.

The six workers were filling potholes when the ship struck the bridge, causing it to collapse into the river. The FBI has opened an investigation into the crash.

The bodies of Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk, were recovered March 27. The body of Maynor Suazo Sandoval was recovered on April 5. The two missing men have been identified as Miguel Luna, 49, and José Mynor López, 35.

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The men were immigrants who worked for a Baltimore County-based construction firm called Brawner Builders and lived in Southeast Baltimore and Dundalk.

State officials on Tuesday spoke of continued support of victims and offered updates related to Baltimore’s bridge recovery operations.

At a press conference, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore offered further condolences and requested privacy for the victim’s families.

“Let’s not lose sight of our humanity because weeks ago we lost six Marylanders,” Moore said. “We will marshal all possible resources to make sure that we will help to support these families and give them peace.”

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the city grieves again as another Marylander was brought home to a family that has been waiting for weeks for closure. He added that support and aid will continue to be provided to Hernández’s family and others.

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Support for the families through the Mayor’s Office of Government of Affairs has now reached more than $650,000 and the funds are available to the families to cover immediate needs, such as funeral costs and household bills, Scott said.

Since the Key bridge fell about three weeks ago, 1,100 tons of steel — or five times the weight of the Statue of Liberty — have been removed from the Patapsco River. And 40 containers, which previously sat on the Dali, have been taken off of the ship.

Clearing the channel so shipping vessels can get in and out of the Port of Baltimore remains a top priority, Moore said. Recovery efforts are on track to open a temporary 35-foot-deep channel by the end of the month.

Large segments of the bridge that were previously submerged in the water are being cleared. On Sunday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed a roughly 400-ton piece of the bridge, and they are “actively” removing another large segment.

Another step in clearing the waterway is the continued removal of the 3,900 containers that remain on the Dali, along with debris from the bow of the ship.

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Former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr. and state Sen. Johnny Ray Salling joined Moore and other officials Tuesday saying that both Republicans and Democrats understand the impact of this tragedy.

“I’ve seen very little cynicism out there. ... We understand the impact of this strategy with respect to the loss of lives, with respect to the loss of businesses, with respect to the loss of income and really the challenge to our identity,” Ehrlich said. “So, I can assure everyone in both sides of the aisle, Republican and Democrat, doesn’t matter. We’re working together to get team Maryland back up and running as quickly as possible.”

Baltimore Banner staff writer Penelope Blackwell contributed to this report.

Lillian Reed

lillian.reed@thebaltimorebanner.com