VICE ADMIRAL PETER GAUTIER, DEPUTY COMMANDANT FOR OPERATIONS FOR THE U.S.

50.00 Dollar US$
March 28, 2024 United States, District of Columbia, Fort McNair 24

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Maryland state police Superintendent Roland Butler Jr. said divers found the two victims trapped in a red pickup truck a little before 10 a.m. in about 25 feet of water around the bridge's middle span. They were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk, Maryland.crumpling into the frigid Patapsco River early Tuesday, were presumed dead when the search-and-rescue mission trying to save them was called off in the evening. Two other workers were rescued Tuesday.Even though four are still missing, Butler said the efforts will now transition from recovery to a salvage operation. The workers were on break at the time of the collapse and had been sitting in their trucks to warm up when the ship smashed into the bridge.“Because of the superstructure surrounding what we believe are the vehicles, and the amount of concrete and debris, divers are no longer able to safely navigate or operate around that,'' Butler said. "We firmly believe the vehicles are encased in the superstructure and concrete that we tragically saw come down.’’He said the six workers all hailed from Latin American countries − Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras − and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore addressed their families in Spanish at the news conference, telling them, "We're with you, now and always.''Vice Admiral Peter Gautier, Deputy Commandant for Operations for the U.S. Coast Guard, said the Dali ship was carrying 4,700 cargo containers, including 56 with hazardous materials. Two containers fell in the river, Gautier said, but added,The Maryland Transportation Authority told USA TODAY there were multiple vehicles on the bridge at the time of the collision and that it is believed they all belonged to the construction workers.Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board, which has assumed the probe of the collision, boarded the Dali overnight Tuesday and again Wednesday, the agency said via e-mail, adding, "NTSB has the data from the voyage data recorder in the NTSB lab."




 



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