Bridge collapses in the USA: two bodies are found in the water; ship underwent maintenance shortly before impact, says Coast Guard | World

Ship began to divert two minutes before impact

Two bodies were removed from the water of the Patapsco River this Wednesday (27) near the place where a bridge collapsed in the city of Baltimore, in the United States, after a ship struck.

Ronald Butler of the Maryland State Police said rescuers located a red pickup truck in the water near the bridge, and divers discovered two bodies inside the vehicle. The car was about 7 meters below the surface.

The bodies removed from the water are those of the following men:

• Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35 years old, Mexican.
• Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26 years old, Guatemalan.

In addition to the two people who were removed from the water, four others were still missing this Wednesday. According to police, there are other vehicles in the river near the bridge, but the wreckage of the structure around these cars makes access difficult for teams.

Police reported that the search was suspended on Wednesday night due to conditions at the scene.

The missing They were workers who worked in maintenance in the middle of the bridge. The victims were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvadorsaid Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

The temperature in Baltimore in the early hours of Tuesday, when the crash occurred, was around -1ºC, according to the American network CNN. The water temperature is around 9ºC — capable of causing death from hypothermia, depending on the individual’s exposure time. The channel has a depth of up to 15 meters and strong currents.

There is no expectation of finding the other four missing people alive. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath told the New York Times on Tuesday that he no longer believes it is possible to find the people alive.

Two people were rescued shortly after the accident, both alive, and were discharged on Tuesday.

Bridge collapses after being hit by ship in the USA

During this morning, divers who were also searching for survivors found the vessel’s data recorder, according to the director general of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Jennifer Homendy.

Starting this Wednesday, the NTSB, which is in charge of the investigations, will analyze the data. Homendy also stated that teams will investigate whether the use of improper fuel may have affected the ship’s power outage.

The vessel, a Singapore-flagged container ship, had just left the port of Baltimore and was headed to Sri Lanka.

The ship involved in the accident is a Singapore-flagged container ship and was destined for Sri Lanka.

The freighter, named Dali, has 300 meters long and 48 wideaccording to the MarineTraffic website.

The ship was operated by the company Synergy and was in service with the Danish company Maersk, according to CNN. According to the operator, no crew member was injured in the collision.

According to the ABC News TV network, the ship lost propulsion while maneuvering to leave the port.

Opened in 1977, the bridge was almost 3 kilometers long and had four lanes, which were approximately 55 meters above the water. The structure also had a drawbridge that provided access to the port of Baltimore.

The bridge was named after the author of the poem that gave rise to the United States anthem. According to scholars, Francis Scott Key wrote the verses after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry, in 1814, in the Baltimore region.