2 bodies recovered after Baltimore bridge collapse

The cold, gray, and wet conditions are making the brutal recovery mission even more miserable. After spending hours in the water, divers found the bodies of two of the six missing construction workers, discovered inside a truck that was on the bridge as it collapsed shortly before 10 a.m.

Baltimore bridge collapse

Authorities are now warning they may never find the bodies of the four men who remain missing. Based on sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are encased in the superstructure and concrete that we tragically saw come down.

When this cargo ship, the Dolly, lost power early Tuesday, it sent out a Mayday call, giving first responders about 90 seconds to close the bridge to oncoming traffic.

With recovery efforts now ended, the investigation is ramping up.

The National Transportation Safety Board has seized the ship’s recording devices, which could provide critical information, everything from the positioning of the vessel itself to speed, you name it.

We hope to have that information to begin to pull together a timeline of events before the striking of the bridge.

Immediately after, Baltimore Harbor remains closed for the foreseeable future. The Port of Baltimore is an important port for our supply chains and for all the workers who depend on it for their income. We’re going to help to get it open as soon as safely possible.

When the bridge was built in the ’70s, locals saw it as relief for the working class since it dramatically cut commute times for lower-income workers in the harbor.

The pastor of a church about a kilometer from the site says that’s what makes this loss deeply personal to so many here.

A lot of the community members actually felt and heard the collision of the boat with the bridge, and so a lot of individuals here who actually watched the bridge being constructed ultimately saw it come to its demise. Folks are in a spirit of sadness.

And Katie, what more do we know about the six victims?

They were all part of the same construction crew, fathers, sons, brothers in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. They were from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

Authorities are saying they tried to warn the construction crew to get off the bridge, that police had called out to them. At this point in the investigation, it appears they just didn’t have enough time to escape. Katie Simpson in Baltimore for us tonight.