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Brawner Builders employees Miguel Luna, 49, and Maynor Yassir Suazo, 38, Sandovol were making repairs to concrete on the bridge when a Singaporean ship, the Dali, lost power and struck a beam, causing the collapse and sending them into the Patapsco River below around 1:30 a.m., according to multiple news reports and loved ones.
The US Coast Guard on Tuesday evening, March 26 said that all six of the missing construction workers are presumed dead and the search has transitioned to a recovery effort.
“In the aftermath of the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, our hearts ache for the families of the victims and all those impacted by this horrific accident," CASA Executive Director Gustavo Torres wrote in a statement.
Luna, 49, was identified first as one of the victims of the mass casualty Tuesday night by his wife, Daily Voice reported, citing Telemundo.
"Sadly, we discovered that one of the construction workers involved was a longtime member of our CASA family, adding an even deeper layer of sorrow to this already grievous situation.”
Suazo Sandoval was identified by MSN as a devoted dad of two and loving husband.
Originally from Santa Bárbara in Honduras, Sandoval was a businessman who launched a maintenance company and had called the US his home for the past 18 years, the outlet said.
Brawner Builders employee Moises Diaz remembered his fallen comrades Luna and Sandoval as “respectful, responsible with their work, their families and friendships,” he said in a statement to NBC.
US President Joe Biden promised that the bridge will be rebuilt using federal funding.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said it won't be easy and it won't be cheap.
"This is no ordinary bridge. This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure," Buttigieg said. "It has been part of the skyline for this region for longer than many of us have been alive.
"So the path to normalcy will not be easy. it will not be quick. it will not be inexpensive. But we will rebuild together."
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