The bodies of two construction workers were found on Wednesday after a massive cargo ship, the Dali, slammed into and ripped apart the Francis Scott Key Bridge where they were working.
Maryland State Police said that divers located the two bodies inside a red pickup at the bottom of the Patapsco River.
The search for the other four missing workers, who are all presumed dead, was paused because “additional vehicles are encased in concrete and other debris, making it unsafe for divers,” CNN reported.
The ship’s black box was recovered by investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and members of the crew will be interviewed in the coming days, the report said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that investigators will be looking at whether “contaminated fuel played a role” in the 1,000-foot cargo ship, which weighs more than 116,000 tons, slamming into the bridge. The ship can carry up to 10,000 containers and is considered “an industry workhorse,” the report added.
“The vessel went dead, no steering power and no electronics,” an officer on the ship told the Journal. “One of the engines coughed and then stopped. The smell of burned fuel was everywhere in the engine room and it was pitch black.”
Six construction workers who were filling potholes on the Francis Scott Key Bridge are presumed dead.
Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, told NBC News that the six individuals who went missing during the accident were working in the middle of the bridge when the ship struck, causing the bridge to collapse.
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“This was so completely unforeseen,” Pritzker said. “We don’t know what else to say. We take such great pride in safety, and we have cones and signs and lights and barriers and flaggers.”
Jesus Campos, who has worked on the bridge for the company, said that he knew some of the members of the crew. He said that they were on a break sitting in their trucks when the ship hit.
“I know that a month ago, I was there, and I know what it feels like when the trailers pass,” Campos said. “Imagine knowing that is falling. It is so hard. One would not know what to do.”
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