Body of fifth construction worker recovered from Key Bridge wreckage site
BALTIMORE -- The body of a fifth missing construction worker was recovered Wednesday from the wreckage site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
The body of Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, was located inside a submerged truck in the Patapsco River, according to the Unified Command.
"We remain dedicated to the ongoing recovery operations while knowing behind each person lost in this tragedy lies a loving family," said Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police. "Along with our local, state and federal partners, we ask that everyone extend their deepest sympathies and support to the families during this difficult time."
Miguel Luna was the 5th construction worker to be recovered from the Key Bridge collapse site
— Cristina Mendez (@CrisMendezTV) May 3, 2024
At 11 @wjz, you’re hearing from neighbors, friends remembering him as someone who put family first + worked day-in & day-out to support them
Details on a wknd fundraiser for his family pic.twitter.com/3GWAZbTkzy
Salvage teams located one of the missing construction vehicles and notified the Maryland Department of State Police, officials said.
Luna was located inside the truck and pulled out by underwater recovery teams. The El Salvadoran was a husband, a father of three, and lived in Maryland for nearly 20 years, according to CASA, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization.
"We continue to pray for Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, his family and all those who love him, acknowledging the anguish they have experienced since the Key Bridge collapsed," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said. "We pray for comfort, we pray for healing, and we pray for peace in knowing that their loved one has finally come home."
Pedro Marin-Luna, a neighbor, said Luna will be remembered as a family man and a hard worker.
"I just can't put myself in their shoes and how they feel for the last five weeks just waiting and waiting and finally, their loved one is coming home," Marin-Luna said.
A former co-worker, Moises Diaz, described him as a kind person who worked hard and always shared his food with other workers and friends. In an interview with CBS News, Diaz said he considered Luna like a brother.
The community plans to rally around the Luna family by holding a fundraiser event at the Luna's food truck on Saturday, May 4.
The event will start at 10 a.m. at 6803 Governor Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie near the Walmart.
Later in the day at 5 p.m., at the same location, there will be a truck meet.
"It's very important because we never know when we'll be in this situation," Fernando Sajches said.
One body remains missing
The Key Bridge collapsed after its support column was struck by a malfunctioning cargo ship in the early morning hours of March 26, sending eight construction workers into the Patapsco River below, and killing six of them.
The men were filling potholes on the bridge at the time of the collapse. They were originally from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
Of the eight men, two of them were rescued from the water the night of the collapse. Two bodies were recovered a day later, and three more bodies have been found over the weeks following the disaster.
Crews have now recovered the bodies of Gonzalez, 35-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 26-year-old Dorlian Castillo Cabrera and 24-year-old Carlos Hernandez.
The body of 35-year-old Jose Mynor Lopez, of Guatemala, remains unaccounted for. His wife, Isabel Franco, told WJZ he moved to the U.S. 19 years ago and was a loving father to their child and three stepchildren.
A memorial is growing on Fort Armistead Road for the six men killed.
Salvage operation ongoing
A delicate, complex salvage effort led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is ongoing to reopen access to the Port of Baltimore.
Since the collapse, four temporary channels have opened to allow ships, including some commercial vessels.
The fourth and largest channel closed after five days as salvage operations continued, but an even deeper channel is expected to open as soon as next week after the Dali -- the striking cargo ship pinned beneath tons of mangled steel -- is unstuck and removed from the channel.
The main 50-foot-deep channel is still set to reopen by the end of May. A giant hydraulic claw will make that possible by removing pieces of the bridge embedded in the Patapsco River bed.
The National Transportation Safety Board expects to release its preliminary report on the disaster the first week in May.