2 bodies recovered from scene of Baltimore bridge collapse

Divers recovered two bodies from the Patapsco River in Baltimore where the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on Tuesday, according to city officials.

The bodies of Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore and Dorlián Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk were recovered from a red pickup truck that was submerged in 25 feet of water.

The men were construction workers filling potholes on the bridge when it collapsed after a cargo ship smashed into a support pillar at 1:30 a.m.

“At this point, based upon the conditions, we’re now moving from a recovery mode to a salvage operation,” Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of Maryland State Police said during Wednesday’s press conference. “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.”

There may be vehicles trapped in the heavy rubble with bodies inside, Butler acknowledged.

The Port of Baltimore is closed without a timeline for reopening, though officials hope it will be able to reopen soon. President Joe Biden has pledged to rebuild the mile-and-a-half bridge with federal funds.