The body of the sixth and final victim from the Baltimore bridge collapse incident has been recovered, according to Maryland state authorities. The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26 after a container ship, the Dali, lost power and struck a support column, resulting in the death of six roadway construction workers.
The victim, identified as 37-year-old Jose Mynor Lopez, was a construction worker from Baltimore who was working on the bridge at the time of the collapse.
“Today, Jose Mynor Lopez, the sixth and final missing victim, was recovered,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon M Scott announced on X, formerly Twitter.
The Unified Command, consisting of police, the coast guard, and government agencies involved in the response, confirmed that Lopez’s family had been notified.
Maryland State Police described the recovery of Lopez’s body as a significant milestone in the recovery efforts.
Mayor Scott stated that work to fully reopen the shipping channel would continue, marking the conclusion of this phase of the recovery efforts.
The Dali ship, measuring 1,000 feet (300 meters), had issued a Mayday call before the collision, allowing authorities to stop traffic on the bridge, potentially preventing further casualties. However, the construction crew working on the bridge could not be reached in time, and they fell into the Patapsco River along with the collapsed structure.
While two workers were rescued alive, one was hospitalized briefly, and the other escaped without injuries.
Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched criminal investigations into the incident.