March 28, 2024 - Baltimore Key Bridge collapse

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says "we are thinking about the families" of the victims who lost their lives in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse earlier this week.

"Our hearts are with the families," Moore said at a news conference ahead of the Orioles' home opener at Camden Yards Thursday. "And to all the families, we are so sorry for this tragedy."

Remember: Officials recovered the bodies of two construction workers Wednesday after the bridge collapse. They have been identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes from Mexico and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera from Guatemala. 

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. 

Sen. Chris Van Hollen laid out the next steps for covering the cost of the collapse of the Baltimore Key Bridge, telling reporters this morning that an assessment is underway right now to determine the full cost of recovery.

Here is the breakdown of how the Maryland Democrat said the costs will be covered:

Carlos Suazo Sandoval, the brother of one of those presumed dead following the bridge collapse, said that the families of victims of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse have been prepared by authorities and experts on what to expect next.

Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, 38, was one of the construction workers who vanished after the bridge collapse, CNN previously reported.

Authorities have told the families they haven’t given up on recovering their loved ones, but they aren’t sure when that process will begin again. Debris must be removed from the water before more bodies can be recovered.

Experts have been preparing the families for what state the bodies might be in, if they are recovered, as it has been multiple days, and they may have been damaged by debris from the collapse.

Carlos Suazo Sandoval said, at this point, family members have accepted that more victims will not be found alive.

Baltimore was sleeping when the fully laden cargo ship, adrift and without power, slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, bringing it down in seconds.

The six people presumed dead from the tragedy couldn’t escape. They were maintenance workers — the kind of people few people notice but who do tough jobs through the night to keep the country running.

All of those missing were immigrants, outsiders who had come to the US from Central and South America for a better life. Their stories and aspirations mirrored the lives of millions of new entrants to the United States. They are far more representative of the migrant population than the extreme and misleading picture often spouted about migrants by Donald Trump. The Republican presumptive nominee often falsely claims foreign countries are entering their asylums and jails to send their “worst people” as a de-facto invasion force to the US.

Often, migrants do jobs that other people don’t want to do — the ones with the lowest wages and the worst conditions. Some do so to support families in the US and to lay the foundation of better lives for their children and grandchildren. Many send money home to support relatives who live in far less affluent economies.

The sacrifices of those missing, presumed dead in Baltimore on Monday night might be worth remembering when the anti-immigrant rhetoric cranks up again in the run-up to November’s presidential election. And when the Francis Scott Key Bridge rises again, it’s a good bet it will be immigrants who are building it.

More than 48 hours after the collapse of the Key Bridge, dozens of vessels from as far away as Asia are still scheduled to arrive at the Port of Baltimore, according to maritime AI company Windward. 

As of Thursday morning, 59 vessels were headed toward the Port of Baltimore, up from the 54 vessels as of Wednesday afternoon. Most of those ships will need to be diverted to other East Coast ports due to the collapsed bridge, Windward said. 

The new tally includes 15 service vessels and one military/law vessel, according to Windward. The number of service vessels scheduled to arrive in Baltimore has increased, likely to help with the cleanup, according to Windward. 

Baltimore is the leading US port for vehicles, the import of sugar and second in the nation for coal exports. 

Most of the vessels headed toward Baltimore are coming from Europe, followed by South America, the Middle East and several from Asia, according to Windward. Logistics firm Freightos previously said seven container vessels were scheduled to arrive in Baltimore through Saturday.

New York and New Jersey governors say the Port Authority can take on additional cargo in wake of the Baltimore bridge collapse, announcing they directed the agency to “further evaluate all available resources to minimize supply chain disruptions.”

The governors said they "will continue to work together to support our neighbors in Baltimore and consumers nationwide."

On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg predicted the restoration effort for the city and port won't be quick. He warned of supply chain disruptions, saying, "The impact of this incident is going to be felt throughout the region and really throughout our supply chains."

Hard-right Republicans are signaling openness to federal dollars being used to pay for the replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, but some want spending cuts to offset the cost.

Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, told CNN he would need to see what the request is and how it would be paid for. "If we gotta go set aside X billion dollars to deal with that port issue, then we should pay for it. Go find somebody who's paid for it. And so well, I want to have those conversations," he said. 

Rep. Matt Gaetz similarly stressed “we got to do what we got to do” to rebuild the bridge given the huge economic and trade impact.

The Biden administration has signaled it is open to reducing certain regulations to speed up rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge, something Georgia GOP Rep. Andrew Clyde said is necessary. "The fastest way we could fix that bridge is to bypass a vast majority of the increased environmental regulations that have been put in place since the bridge was built," Clyde said.

All 21 crew members are still onboard the Dali cargo ship, a senior official in India's Ministry of External Affairs, who is familiar with the matter, told CNN on Thursday. Of the 21 crew members onboard the Dali, 20 are Indian nationals and are "in good shape," official said. 

“One of them got injured slightly and needed to have some stitches, the stitches have been given and he has then gone back to the ship," Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said in a briefing. 

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, is working to determine what occurred onboard Dali and also looking at the structure of the Key bridge itself in the wake of its collapse.

Synergy Marine Group, the company that managed the Dali cargo ship, extended its "deepest sympathies" to the families of the two people whose bodies were found in the Patapsco River after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. 

The company said one crew member was injured and had returned to the ship on Wednesday after being treated. "The ship managers have activated their mental health team to provide trauma counseling for crew members feeling distressed, and that service will continue," it said.

The company said the NTSB began interviewing crew members and collected documents, voyage data recorder extracts, and other evidence as part of their investigation, adding "We will continue to cooperate with investigators throughout this process." It also said its emergency response teams are on the ground in Baltimore and coordinating with officials "on all stages of the recovery and remediation efforts," including participation in the Unified Command that has been established to provide information as it is available.

"We deeply regret this incident and the problems it has caused for the people of Baltimore and the region’s economy that relies on this vitally important port," the company said.