2 bodies found in Baltimore bridge collapse as recovery paused to clear debris

March 27 (UPI) -- The bodies of two construction workers were found Wednesday, trapped in a red pickup truck in the frigid Patapsco River, as recovery efforts in Baltimore's bridge collapse were temporarily called off.

The victims were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, a native of Mexico who lived in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, a native of Guatemala who lived in Dundalk, according to police.

Maryland State Police said search efforts for the remaining four workers, who are presumed dead, are on hold until salvage crews can clear more debris. Superintendent Col. Roland Butler said the recovery, following Tuesday's catastrophic collision by a cargo ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, was not safe for divers who have found additional vehicles surrounded by heavy concrete and twisted metal.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday it boarded the ship earlier in the day and recovered the black box data recorder.

"Right now, we do have the data recorder, which is essentially the 'black box,'" NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told CNN. "We've sent that back to our lab to evaluate and begin to develop a timeline of events that led up to the strike on the bridge."

As the NTSB interviews the ship's crew, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that sources familiar with the investigation were looking into whether contaminated fuel played a role in the ship's loss of power.

Earlier Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned rebuilding the bridge "will not be quick or easy or cheap."

"We still don't fully know the condition of the portions of the bridge that are still standing or of infrastructure that is below the surface of the water," Buttigieg told reporters during a White House briefing Wednesday, as he refused to commit to a timeline for rebuilding the bridge or opening the port.

"Too soon to venture an estimate," Buttigieg said. "The vast majority of the port is inside of that bridge, which means most of it cannot operate."

Buttigieg said in addition to the investigation, it is vital to get the port reopened as soon as possible, noting $100 million to $200 million worth of cargo travels through the port every day. He also expressed concern about the economic impact on workers' wages, which totals about $2 million daily.

"Reopening the port is a different matter from rebuilding the bridge. The port, that's just a matter of clearing the channel," Buttigieg said. "Still no simple thing, but I would expect that can happen on a much quicker timeline than the full reconstruction of the bridge."

Vice Adm. Peter Gautier, deputy commandant for operations for the Coast Guard, joined Buttigieg during the briefing and told reporters the first challenge will be removing the large trusses from the bridge and from the bow of the ship.

Buttigieg said he expected to receive an emergency funding request from Maryland's Transportation Department by late Wednesday.

"We will be processing that immediately to start getting them what they need."

Recovery efforts had continued Wednesday for the missing construction workers who are presumed dead. They were filling potholes when the bridge went down.

In a post on X, Mexico's Washington, D.C., embassy said the workers included "Mexican, Guatemalan and Salvadoran people."

President Bernardo Arevalo of Guatemala confirmed two of his citizens are among the six missing workers.

"In these difficult times, my solidarity and attention are with them and their families," he said on X.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he met with the families of the missing, praying with them. He vowed to use every possible resource for the recovery mission.

"They were fathers, they were sons, they were husbands, They were people who their families relied on," Moore said on NBC's Today. "I'm going to make sure that we're going to put every possible resource to bring a sense of closure to these families."

Moore said recovery teams are facing treacherous conditions including frigid temperatures, rain and a moving tide along with mangled metal in the water.

According to Maryland Democratic Rep. David Trone, underwater drones will be used in the recovery search and they will be able to locate submerged vehicles.

The ship crashed into a support pillar for the bridge after losing power early Tuesday morning, immediately collapsing a large portion of the bridge.

CBS News, citing an unclassified memo from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said the ship reported losing power as it left the Port of Baltimore. The ship alerted the Maryland Department of Transportation that it might hit the bridge due to losing control of the ship.

Buttigieg said there will be a long road to recovery for the Key Bridge and Baltimore's port. He said every effort will be made to get the shipping channel reopened and the bridge rebuilt as soon as possible.

Buttigieg said the port is the biggest vehicle-handling port in the country and the effect of the bridge collapse will be felt nationwide.