They were six men who showed up to work at the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday like any other day. A day to support their families.
But Tuesday was not like any other day. The bridge collapsed after it was hit by a cargo ship. Now, those six workers are presumed dead as they fell into the Patapsco River.
“They were wonderful family people,” Jeffrey Pritzker, an executive with Brawner Builders, told The New York Times (NYT), before describing the victims’ survivors. “Spouses, children.”
“It’s just a very, very bad day,” he said.
All six men worked for Brawner Builders, a contractor based in Baltimore.
“At this point, we do not believe we are going to find any of these individuals still alive,” Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said, per the NYT. Gilreath cited the cold water temperatures and the length of time since the collapse.
Now, details on the lives lost are coming out.
“We’re low-income families,” said Jesus Campos, a co-worker told the NYT. “Our relatives are waiting for our help back in our home countries … It’s tough. This situation is very difficult.”
He told The Baltimore Banner that the employees who were missing were from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
The workers were repairing the roadway on the bridge when it was hit.
“Pritzker said that Brawner’s owner was distressed and spent the early hours of Tuesday near the bridge hoping for a rescue, and has also since met with families of all of the missing workers,” per the NYT.
One of the workers was identified as Miguel Luna, 40, from El Salvador. A nonprofit organization that helps immigrants confirmed his identity, the NYT reported.
Luna “is married and has three children, said Gustavo Torres, the executive director of the nonprofit, We Are Casa. He said Luna had been living in Maryland for at least 19 years,” per the outlet.
Two of the workers were Guatemalan nationals, according to Guatemala’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, who did not release their names.
“The country’s consul general in Maryland has spoken with the siblings of the two workers and is hoping to meet with their families,” the NYT reported.
According to the Mexican Consulate in Washington the nationalities of the missing people were still being determined.
Two other workers were rescued Tuesday. One did not need medical attention, while the other was taken to a hospital and released, per the NYT.
State officials said the construction crew had been fixing potholes when the ship hit the bridge.
