Baltimore bridge collapse: Bodies of two victims recovered, after audio of first responder call emerged
The bodies of two victims of the Baltimore bridge collapse have been recovered from a red pick-up truck that was found in about 25 feet of water, authorities have said.
The bodies have been pulled from the Patapsco River a day after the 1.6-mile long Frances Scott Key Bridge crashed into the water when it was struck by a container vessel in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The men recovered have been identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, who was from Mexico and lived in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, who was from Guatemala and lived in Dundalk, Maryland.
Colonel Roland L. Butler Jr from Maryland State Police said the truck containing the bodies was found near the mid-section of the fallen bridge at around 10am local time (2pm UK time).
He also said further efforts to recover remains were being suspended because of the increasingly treacherous conditions.
Four people are still missing and are presumed dead as officials said the recovery mission is now a salvage operation because it is no longer safe for divers to navigate or operate around the debris and concrete in the port.
Police have said sonar vehicles have led officials to believe the vehicles still trapped underwater are encased in concrete and the structures that crashed down after the collision.
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New angle shows moment bridge hit
Maryland State Police added that responding officers have “exhausted all search efforts” to recover the remaining victims and that divers stopped searching the water at around 4pm local time (8pm UK time) today.
The six men, who were from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, were part of a crew filling potholes on the bridge’s road surface at the time of the collapse.
Earlier, the first two missing construction workers to be named were Miguel Luna, a 49-year-old from El Salvador, and Maynard Sandoval, a 37-year-old father-of-two.
It came after audio emerged of a first responder call as officials halted traffic on both sides of the bridge moments before it collapsed.
The cargo ship had issued a mayday call to alert authorities it had lost power before it collided with the Baltimore bridge on Tuesday morning.
Following the call, Maryland Transportation Authority Police Dispatch and Response officials acted swiftly, shutting down the north and south sides of the bridge.
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Everything we know about the disaster
First missing worker named
In the audio, one official instructs: “Hold all traffic on the Key Bridge… There’s a ship approaching that just lost their steering so until we get that under control, we’ve got to stop all traffic.
“Make sure no one’s on the bridge right now. There’s a crew up there… You might want to notify the foreman to see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily.”
Another responds saying he would “grab the workers” but it was too late.
A second later, a voice is heard saying: “The whole bridge just fell down. Start, start whoever… everybody. The whole bridge just collapsed.”
In other developments, investigators at the National Safety Transportation Board have confirmed that the cargo ship’s data recorder has now been recovered – and they are examining whether contaminated fuel played a role in the crash.
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The Dali ship ploughed into one of the bridge’s supports and, in an instant, the structure had fallen into the Patapsco River, along with vehicles that were on it at the time.
All 22 crew members on board the ship, including the two pilots, have been accounted for and there were no reports of injuries.
A satellite image of the incident. Pic: AP
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said he spoke to the families of the victims, assuring them since the mission had transitioned from search and rescue to recovery he would “put every possible resource to bring [them] a sense of closure”.
He praised the “true heroism” of the first responders who “saved countless lives that night”.
Mr Moore also said he was “overwhelmed” by the amount of support from both the Democratic and Republican parties as he stressed the importance of getting the bridge rebuilt.
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‘True accountability’ for Baltimore bridge collapse
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has promised that he will visit Baltimore “as soon as possible”, adding that the federal government will cover the “full cost” of rebuilding the bridge – which experts say could be over $600m (£474m).
He told reporters: “Everything so far indicates that this was a terrible accident. At this time we have no other indication, no other reason to believe there’s any intentional act here.
“Personnel on board the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of their vessel.”
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Timeline of Baltimore bridge collapse
Mr Biden added that this meant local authorities were able to close the bridge before it was struck, which “undoubtedly saved lives”.
He continued: “Our prayers are with everyone involved in this terrible accident and all the families [affected], especially those waiting for news of their loved one right now. I know every minute in that circumstance feels like a lifetime.”
The Key Bridge carries the Interstate 695 highway over the Patapsco River southeast of the Baltimore metropolitan area.
Its main section spans 1,200 feet and was one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the world upon its completion, according to the National Steel Bridge Alliance.
The Dali was previously involved in a minor incident when it hit a quay at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2016, where it was damaged, according to Vessel Finder and maritime accident site Shipwrecklog.
President Joe Biden has warned Israel in his toughest public comments so far that the US would stop supplying it with some weapons if Israel invades the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
If Israeli forces launch an all-out assault on the city, the last major Hamas stronghold in the besieged enclave, the US president said “we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells used, that have been used”.
In an interview with CNN, Mr Biden acknowledged US weapons have been used by Israel which have killed civilians in Gaza during its seven-month offensive aimed at destroying Hamas.
Middle East latest: Follow live updates
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IDF launches another Rafah operation
It comes after his decision last week to pause a shipment of heavy 2,000lb bombs to Israel over concerns about a looming attack on Rafah, following public and private warnings from his administration.
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centres,” Mr Biden told CNN.
“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven’t gone in Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem.”
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the weapons delay earlier on Wednesday, saying the US paused “one shipment of high payload munitions”.
“We’re going to continue to do what’s necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself,” Mr Austin said.
“But that said, we are currently reviewing some near-term security assistance shipments in the context of unfolding events in Rafah.”
Israel carried out military operations in Rafah earlier this week in what it described as “targeted strikes”.
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Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Rafah. Pic: Reuters
Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen in Rafah. Pic: Reuters
Mounting death toll
Nearly 34,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed so far in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The war began when Hamas stormed into Israel on 7 October, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 others, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity, according to Israeli tallies.
Palestinians flee Rafah. Pics: Reuters
US will still supply defensive systems
Mr Biden told CNN the US would continue to provide defensive systems to Israel, including for its Iron Dome defence system.
“We’re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently,” he said.
“But it’s, it’s just wrong. We’re not going to – we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.”
It comes as Mr Biden’s administration is due to deliver a formal verdict this week, the first of its kind, on whether Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid have violated international and US laws.
A decision against Israel would heap further pressure on Mr Biden to limit the flow of weapons and money to Israel’s military.
The mother of two Australian surfers allegedly shot dead by thieves in Mexico says “the world has become a darker place for us” after their deaths.
The bodies of brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and American Jack Carter Rhoad were found south of Ensenada in northern Mexico last week, after the men went missing on the weekend of 27 April.
The trio, who were on a surfing trip near the city, were shot dead by thieves who wanted their truck’s tyres, according to prosecutors, and their bodies dumped in a remote 15m-deep (50ft) well.
Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson with their parents
Debra Robinson delivered a tribute to her sons at a beach in San Diego on Tuesday.
“Our hearts are broken and the world has become a darker place for us,” she said. “They were young men enjoying their passion of surfing together.
“Jake’s passion was surfing, and it was no coincidence that many of the hospitals that he worked in were close to surfing beaches.”
“Live bigger, shine brighter, and love harder in their memory,” she said, and thanked Australian officials and supporters there and in the United States.
Jake and Callum Robinson. Pic:callum10robinson
Mrs Robinson, who also paid tribute to Jack Carter Rhoad, said her sons’ bodies, or their ashes, will eventually be taken back to Australia.
“Now it’s time to bring them home to families and friends,” she said. “And the ocean waits in Australia.”
Prosecutors have identified three people as potential suspects, two of whom were caught with methamphetamines. One of them, a woman, had one of the victims’ mobile phones when she was caught, they said.
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Prosecutors said the two were being held pending drug charges but continue to be suspects in the killings.
A third man was arrested on charges of a crime equivalent to kidnapping, but that was before the bodies were found. It was unclear when or if he might face more charges.
Photos of Callum, Jake and Jack were left on the beach in Ensenada. Pic: AP
Surfers near in Ensenada threw flowers in a tribute to the men. Pic: AP
The third man was believed to have directly participated in the killings, prosecutors said.
33-year-old Callum, Jake, 30, and their friend Jack, also 30, had posted photos on social media of isolated beaches shortly before they went missing.
Callum had reportedly been living in the US to try to become a professional lacrosse player, while Jake, a doctor, had flown out to visit him two weeks ago.
Thieves likely saw their truck and tents and wanted their tyres but the men probably resisted, said prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade Ramírez.
She said the bodies were taken to “a site that is extremely hard to get to” in Baja California state.
The well, near where their truck and tent were found, also contained a fourth body that had been there much longer, she added.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday he had requested an opportunity to speak to Mrs Robinson and her husband Martin.
“This is a terrible tragedy and my heart goes out to them,” Mr Albanese said.
There are moments, more than others, that scream the humiliation of it all.
Take this, before Tuesday’s proceedings got underway. “No descriptions of genitalia or anything but it’s important to elicit that she had sex with him.”
It was the prosecution’s assurance prior to questioning Stormy Daniels after Donald Trump’s lawyers had objected, in advance, to her testifying to the details of sexual acts.
It would be that kind of day in this kind of trial.
Trump trial as it happened: Stormy Daniels accused of car park ‘threat’ lie
In a dingy New York courtroom, this was the president and the porn star, together again, in a reunion most reductive for Mr Trump.
He might have secured guarantees on anatomical detail but, from the moment the court heard “The People call Stormy Daniels” this was Mr Trump with his trousers down, no doubt.
Ms Daniels told her story, of growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the daughter of a single mother. She edited her high school newspaper, enjoyed ballet dancing and horses and had ambitions to be a technician.
By the time she met Mr Trump, aged 27, we learned she was an adult film actress and director, star of the likes of 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up.
By her telling, the Trump encounter was more Austin Powers – the penthouse suite, the satin pyjamas and the spanking with a rolled-up magazine.
“Bullshit,” Mr Trump was heard to mutter. His problem is that this kind of bullshit sticks.
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Stormy Daniels recalls bedroom encounter with Trump
Whatever his lawyers’ protestations about Ms Daniels’ credibility – and there are holes – that’s hardly the headline for a watching, voting, public.
What will they take from court to the polling booth in November? Quite apart from the imagery, what message does it send to key demographics?
An affair with a porn star, whilst married, is a poor fit with the principles of evangelicals, so critical to the Trump vote in 2016. Suburban women might also reel from this tawdry peek backstage at the presidency.
How much will Mr Trump worry? About $130,000 (£103,000) worth. It is the premium he paid to stop the story coming out in the first place.
Sadly, for him, the insurance policy has run out.
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