26-03-2025
Maryland leaders to remember Key Bridge collapse victims, first responders
Maryland leaders will pay tribute to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse victims and the emergency responders on Wednesday, marking one year since the tragedy that killed six construction workers.
Shortly before 1:30 a.m. on March 26, 2024, the container ship DALI, a 948-foot vessel from Singapore, crashed into a main span of the bridge, which crumbled into the Patapsco River.
The construction workers who died were identified as 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 24-year-old Carlos Hernandez, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, and Jose Mynor Lopez, 35.
On this day, Governor Moore and the State of Maryland will hold a Francis Scott Key Bridge Commemoration Ceremony to remember those we lost, honor those who courageously responded, and commemorate the resilience of Baltimore and the entire state.
On Wednesday, overlooking the site where the bridge collapsed, which not only killed six but also halted ship traffic to the Port of Baltimore, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Senator Chris Van Hollen, and Congressmen Kweisi Mfume and Johnny Olszewski, will participate in a Francis Scott Key Bridge Commemoration Ceremony.
"(The ceremony is) to remember those we lost, honor those who courageously responded, and commemorate the resilience of Baltimore and the entire state," Maryland leaders said.
The
Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977
and stood for 47 years before it collapsed.
On March 26, 2024, investigators
said the DALI
lost power before crashing into the Key Bridge.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the
ship lost power four times in 12 hours
before the collision.
The NTSB recently
blamed Maryland officials for failing to conduct
a recommended assessment that would have shown the bridge
was vulnerable to a strike
. The state helped develop the assessment protocols in 1991.
"Frankly, we've been sounding the alarm on this since the tragedy occurred," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said.
Federal investigators found the chances of a vessel striking the Key Bridge were 30 times the recommended threshold.
"We asked had you done this vulnerability assessment on the Key Bridge. The answer was no. We then asked, 'Are you doing this vulnerability assessment on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge?' The answer is no," Homendy said.
Governor Wes Moore pushed back in an interview with WJZ.
"There is not a bridge in this country that could have taken that kind of impact," Moore said. "We are going to make sure we are cooperating with the NTSB to get all the assessments done, but also, I'm going to make sure that those reckless operators are held to account for the tragedy that happened to our state."
The NTSB said the critical assessment would have allowed them to identify
structural risks with the bridge
.
