The bodies of two of the construction workers who died after a 984-foot-long cargo ship hit a pillar of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge have been recovered, officials said Wednesday. Search efforts have been paused for the four other workers who are presumed dead.
The investigation into the collision could take up to two years, according to National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy.
The crew first signaled trouble with the vessel when a pilot radioed for help from tugboats at about 1:26 a.m. ET Tuesday – just about three minutes before the ship hit a bridge column, the NTSB said, citing data from a voyage recorder.
Our live coverage of the Baltimore bridge collapse has moved here.
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Here's what you should know about the Key Bridge collapse
From CNN staff
A Marine Emergency Team boat passes the wreckage of the Dali cargo vessel in Baltimore on Tuesday.
Mike Segar/Reuters
Officials recovered the bodies of two construction workers who were on Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed early Tuesday morning after a 984-foot-long cargo ship collided into a pillar.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called the collapse Wednesday “a global crisis.”
“The national economy and the world’s economy depends on the Port of Baltimore. The port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other port in the country,” Moore said.
Here’s what you should know:
The victims: The six people who are presumed dead were from Mexico Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, according to Col. Roland L. Butler Jr, the superintendent of Maryland State Police. Two bodies were recovered and have been identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes from Mexico and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera from Guatemala. The two workers were filling potholes on the bridge and were later found trapped in a red pickup truck in about 25 feet of water, Butler said. The FBI is handling notifying the victims’ families, Butler said.
Recovery efforts: Authorities are pausing search efforts for the four other workers who are presumed dead, because additional vehicles are encased in concrete and other debris, making it unsafe for divers, Butler said. Once salvage operations clear the debris, divers will search for more remains, he said.
The investigation: The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the fatal incident, according to the agency’s chair Jennifer Homendy. During a Wednesday news conference, Homendy said there were 21 crew members and two pilots on board the Dali cargo ship when it crashed into the bridge. She also said a senior NTSB hazmat investigator identified 56 containers of hazardous material, and that some containers are in the water. The agency received six hours of voyage data from the ship and the investigation could take 12 to 24 months to complete, Homendy said. She emphasized that NTSB will not analyze information collected or provide conclusions while on scene of the collapse.
Looking forward: Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said rebuilding the bridge will not be “quick or easy” but that it will get done. He said there are four main focus points ahead: reopening the port, dealing with supply chain issues until its reopening, rebuilding the bridge and dealing with traffic issues until the bridge is rebuilt. Biden pledged the full support of the federal government in the response and recovery efforts. His administration has already conveyed a sense of urgency to open up federal funding to remove debris and ultimately rebuild the bridge. Maryland has submitted a request to the Biden administration for emergency relief funds “to assist in our work going forward,” Moore said Wednesday.
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It's almost impossible to place people on the bow of ship due to the unstable structure, fire official says
From CNN's Sarah Engel
Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said Wednesday that the cargo ship’s bridge structure and containers at the bow remain unstable.
“Naturally, we’re still very cognizant of the fact that there are hazardous materials on board the vessel itself,” Wallace said, alluding to the National Transportation Safety Board saying earlier that 56 containers were carrying hazardous materials.
Wallace said his team is relying heavily on aerial recognizance, including drones. “That’s the only way we’re able to see in,” he said.
He added that the aerial surveillance has “been able to really assure us right now we have no [chemical] reactions on board.”
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"It's just utter devastation," NTSB chief says of the bridge collapse site
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, called the site of the Key Bridge collapse “devastating.”
She added that she is thinking of families who lost loved ones and those who are waiting to reunite with their lived ones.
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NTSB interviewed the Dali's captain and some other crew members today, agency chief says
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
The National Transportation Safety Board has interviewed the ship’s captain, his mate, the chief engineer and one other engineer today, according to Chair Jennifer Homendy.
The two pilots on board the Dali at the time of collision will be interviewed tomorrow, she added.
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Cargo ship's voyage data recorder is basic when compared to an airplane's, NTSB chair says
From CNN's Tori B. Powell
The voyage data recorder on the cargo ship Dali was a “newer model” but is considered basic when compared to that on an airplane, according to National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy.
“But it is very basic compared to say, a flight data recorder, where we would have 1,000 parameters,” she said at a news conference on Wednesday.
The NTSB chief investigator Marcel Muise added:
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There were no tug boats with Dali at the time of the collision. That's normal, NTSB chief says
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
People look at the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge while visiting Fort McHenry in Baltimore on Wednesday.
Julia Nikhinson/Reuters
There were no tugs with Dali when the cargo vessel collided with Baltimore’s Key Bridge, which is normal protocol, according to National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy.
Remember: At 01:26:39 on Tuesday, Dali’s pilot made a general very high frequency (VHF) radio call for tugs in the vicinity to assist, the NTSB investigator Marcel Muise had said.
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NTSB chair says she saw some containers that were carrying hazardous materials in the water
From CNN's Tori B. Powell
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said she did see some of the 56 containers that were carrying hazardous materials in the water.
When asked how many
When asked how many containers of hazardous materials were in the water, Homendy said:
Homendy said that a preliminary report should be out in two to four weeks.
This post has been updated with more quotes from Homendy.
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Bridge did not have any redundancy, unlike the preferred method for building bridges today, NTSB chair says
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Baltimore’s Key Bridge did not have any redundancy, which is included in the preferred method of building bridges in the present day, according to National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy.
There are 17,468 fracture critical bridges in the United States out of 615,000 bridges total, she said, citing the Federal Highway Administration.
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The NTSB investigator in charge of the bridge collapse investigation provides a timeline of crash
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Cargo ship Dali is seen after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Marcel Muise, the National Transportation Safety Board investigator in charge, provided the following timeline of events as provided by the recovered voyage data recorder (VDR).
Approximately 12:39 a.m. ET: The ship departed from Seagirt Marine Terminal.
By 1:07: The ship had entered the Fort McHenry Channel.
01:24:59: Numerous audible alarms were recorded on the ship’s bridge audio. About the same time, VDR sensor data ceased recording. The VDR audio continued to record using the redundant power source, Muise said.
01:26:02: VDR resumed recording sensor data and during this time, steering commands and rudder orders were recorded on the audio.
01:26:39: The ship’s pilot made a general very high frequency (VHF) radio call for tugs in the vicinity to assist. About to this time, Muise said, the pilot association dispatcher phoned the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) duty officer regarding the blackout.
Around 01:27:04: The pilot ordered the Dali to drop the port anchor and ordered additional steering commands.
Around 01:27:25: The pilot issued a radio call over the VHF radio, reporting that the Dali had lost all power and was approaching the bridge. Around this time, the MDTA data shows the following also occurred: Their duty officer radioed two of their units that were already on scene due to construction on the bridge — one on each side of the bridge — and ordered them to close traffic on the bridge. All lanes were then shut down by MDTA.
Around 01:29: The ship’s speed over ground was recorded at just under 8 miles per hour. From this moment on approximately 1:29:33, the VDR audio recorded sounds consistent with the collision of the bridge. Additionally, around this time, MDTA dash cameras show the bridge lights extinguishing.
01:29:39: The pilot reported the bridge down over the VFH radio to the Coast Guard.
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Investigation could hopefully take 12 to 24 months, NTSB chair says
From CNN's Tori B. Powell
The investigation into the cargo ship crash into Key Bridge could take up to two years, according to National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy.
She called the investigation “a massive undertaking” and said there are “many different components to the investigation.”
“It’s multimodal,” Homendy said, noting that “this is not new for the NTSB.”
“We’ve conducted other investigations of bridge strikes, bridge collapses,” she said.
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NTSB received 6 hours of voyage data from ship that crashed into bridge, investigator says
From CNN's Tori B. Powell
Approximately six hours of voyage data from the Dali cargo ship that hit the Key Bridge in Baltimore has been provided to the National Transportation Safety Board, according to Marcel Muise, NTSB investigator in charge.
The footage was recovered by the US Coast Guard on the morning of the accident and contains footage from midnight to 6 a.m. ET, Muise said at a Wednesday news conference.
“The NTSB is continuing to obtain more data,” Muise said.
A senior hazmat investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board looked at the cargo and cargo manifest today, identifying 56 containers of hazardous material, agency Chair Jennifer Homendy said Wednesday.
Some of the hazmat containers “were breached,” she said, adding that sheen was seen on the waterway.
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There were 23 individuals on the cargo ship at the time of the accident, NTSB chair says
From CNN's Tori B. Powell
In an aerial view, cargo ship Dali is seen after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
There were 21 crew members and two pilots onboard the Dali cargo ship when it crashed into Baltimore’s Key Bridge, according to the National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy.
The NTSB is leading the investigation, Homendy has said. The board will try to determine what occurred onboard Dali and also look at the structure of the bridge itself.
Read more about what investigators are working on here.
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NTSB won't provide conclusions and analysis while on scene, agency chief says
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
The National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy speaks during a press conference on Wednesday, March 27.
Pool
The National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy emphasized the agency will not analyze information collected or provide conclusions while on the scene of the Key Bridge collapse.
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NOW: NTSB is sharing updates on the Key Bridge collapse
The National Transportation Safety Board is holding a news conference to share updates about the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy is expected to speak.
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Officials pause recovery efforts for 4 workers presumed dead after bridge collapse
From CNN's Aditi Sangal and Elise Hammond
Authorities are pausing search and recovery efforts for the four additional people who are presumed dead after the bridge collapse, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., the superintendent of Maryland State Police said Wednesday evening.
“At this point, based upon the conditions, we are now moving from a recovery mode to a salvage operation,” he said.
The superintendent added that based on sonar scans, officials believe that the vehicles are “encased in the superstructure and concrete” of the bridge.
Butler Jr. added that there is “no definitive timeline” for how long the salvage phase will take, once it is complete, the divers will go back to the site.
“The sonar simply said they cannot get to that area because it was fully encased in the superstructure,” he said. “Once that salvage effort takes place and that superstructure is removed, those same divers are going to go back out there and bring those people closure,” he added.
The headline and post have been updated with additional comments from Butler Jr.
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Brother of a missing person from bridge collapse describes him as "a man who dreamed big"
From CNN's Michael Rios
The brother of a person presumed dead after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed earlier this week described him as a “man who dreamed big.”
He told CNNE in Honduras on Wednesday that his brother was an industrial mechanical technician and went to the United States to fulfill his dreams. However, after the pandemic, Maynor Suazo Sandoval had to look for an additional job to have more income and found work at a bridge supervision and maintenance company.
Martin Suazo Sandoval said his brother believed in helping people, and sponsored minor sports leagues because he believed that by “helping the children here in the town, they would have a better childhood”.
Martin Suazo Sandoval said what they want most is for their brother’s body to be found “so we can begin to take steps to repatriate him.”
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First responders worked quickly to get people off bridge after first mayday call, governor says
From CNN's Elise Hammond
After the Dali ship sent out its first mayday signal, first responders leapt into action to both move people off the bridge and prevent other cars from entering it, Maryland’s governor said.
They were also notifying workers who were part of a construction crew on the bridge to leave, Gov. Wes Moore said Wednesday, as officials learn more about what happened in the moments before the collision and collapse.
The governor said the ongoing investigation will reveal more of what happened and how those responders communicated with the workers. He said this particular worker who survived said he heard the warning “audibly,” that the officer was telling him to move off.
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Officials recover bodies of 2 missing bridge workers
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., the head of the Maryland State Police, speaks during a press conference on Wednesday, March 27.
Governor Wes Moore/Youtube
Officials have recovered the bodies of two of the missing workers who were on the Francis Scott Key bridge when it collapsed, the head of the Maryland State Police said Wednesday.
Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. said that shortly before 10 a.m. ET divers found a red pickup truck in about 25 feet of water.
He said Maryland State Police notified the families of those found about an hour ago. Their names were given as:
Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes from Mexico
Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera from Guatemala
The workers, who were filling potholes on the bridge at the time of the incident, were from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, officials said.
Butler Jr. confirmed that both men whose bodies were found today were working for the construction company. One was identified by a driver’s license in his pocket, the other was identified by fingerprint, he said.
The post has been updated with more details from the news conference, including the correct spelling of the victims’ names after an update from authorities.
