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UPDATE: Two Victims ID'd In Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse
The Brawner Builders employees are presumed dead after they were sent plunging into the Patapsco River at 1:30 a.m., when one of the bridge's beams was struck by a container ship that had lost power, officials previously said.
"We do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive," U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said at a press conference.
Cold water temperatures and time passed since the collapse decreased likelihood of survival, he added.
The identities of the workers have not been released, however, María del Carmen Castellón tells Telemundo 44 that her husband, 49-year-old Miguel Luna, is one of them.
Gov. Wes Moore tells NBC News he spent time with the families of the construction workers.
"When they let their family member go out that evening to go to work they never expected that would be the result. They were just praying. They were praying for a positive result and just hopeful."
Moore vowed the city would put its best effort forward and utilize all resources to find survivors.
According to AccuWeather, weather was expected to play a critical role in the search.
"The water temperature is so vital for rescuers right now, the folks who have to go into the water and the people who are searching around the debris," AccuWeather Senior Television Broadcaster Kristina Shalhoup said.
Forecasters say dryer weather is ideal for search conditions, but rain could come Wednesday and Thursday.
The crash happened just after the Dali, a Singaporean cargo ship, issued a warning that it had lost power. Crews aboard the ship notified gave officials some time to halt traffic along the bridge, which President Joe Biden said "undoubtedly saved lives."
Some cars, however, plunged off the bridge. As did the construction workers making repairs.
According to MarineTraffic, the Dali had left Baltimore at 1 a.m. and was headed to Port of Colombo, in Sri Lanka.
Biden promised that the bridge would be rebuilt with federal funding, but according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the project won't be easy or cheap.
"This is no ordinary bridge. This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure," he 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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