Since Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship that lost power early on Tuesday morning, details are emerging surrounding the people who died in the incident.
Approximately six people – all members of a construction crew filling potholes on the major bridge – remain unaccounted for and are presumed to be dead, government and medical officials familiar with the situation have said.
Dr David T Efron of the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center spoke at a press conference on Tuesday about the various factors that almost certainly indicate these people have died, including the sheer height of the bridge and the temperature of the water into which they probably fell.
“[It] doesn’t take very long for someone to feel the effects of [the water’s] temperature,” he said.
Few details have emerged so far about both survivors and victims.
Here’s what we know so far:
One man, Jesús Campos, who also works in construction, and claims to know the missing crew members told the Baltimore Banner that they are all men from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico.
New details on the construction crew that was on the Key Bridge when it collapse. https://t.co/0umc43LUTX
— The Baltimore Banner (@BaltimoreBanner) March 26, 2024
On Tuesday afternoon, the Baltimore city council member Phylicia Porter announced on CNN that she had been told one body had been found, but this has not yet been confirmed by the US coast guard, which has been leading search efforts.
Two other individuals were rescued, one of whom was hospitalized at the Cowley Shock Trauma Center. The hospital announced that patient had been discharged.
Following the bridge’s collapse, Maryland remains in a state of emergency, as declared by Governor Wes Moore. Moore said he was also in close communication with US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is assisting with the investigation into the incident.
• This article was amended on 27 March 2024 to correct the name of the hospital where Dr David T Efron works.
