Baltimore Key Bridge collapse latest: Federal government approves $60m emergency repair work

Governor Wes Moore submitted a request for the funding on Thursday afternoon. In a news release, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that President Joe Biden’s administration approved the request within hours.

“These funds serve as a down payment toward initial costs, and additional Emergency Relief program funding will be made available as work continues,” a news release

Mr Buttigieg continued to say that “No one will ever forget the shocking images of a container vessel striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse and the tragic loss of six people.

“The federal emergency funds we’re releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress”.

Tom Perez, senior advisor and assistant to President Biden, said that the bodies of four of the men remain in the water.

The bodies of two men — Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26 — were pulled from the Patapsco River on Wednesday.

But the bodies of Miguel Luna, Maynor Suazo and José López and another victim remain in the water.

Mr Perez said the federal government is working with families to address their needs, including potentially bringing relatives to the US on humanitarian parole.

The wife of Julio Cervantes, one of the victims of the the Baltimore bridge tragedy, said her husband doesn’t know how to swim and it’s a “miracle he survived”, according to NBC News. The wife identified herself only with her last name, which is the same as her husband’s.

Mr Cervantes was taken to a hospital with a chest wound and was released the same day, the woman said. She added that her brother-in-law was one of the men whose bodies were recovered on Wednesday but did not identify him. One of her nephews remains among the missing men.

“We haven’t been able to sleep, waiting for word if they’re going to find a relative,” she told the outlet.

Minutes before the collision, the propulsion system on board the vessel went down, alarms sounded, and the vessel began veering towards a support for the bridge.

Read more by Louise Boyle:

A fundraiser for the families of the victims of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse has garnered nearly $100,000, just days after the tragedy.

The GoFundMe page had raised over $98,000 by Thursday morning.

The fundraiser, organised by the volunteer group Latino Racial Justice Circle, explained that the cash would be “distributed directly” to the “families of the victims” of the bridge collapse.

The identities of six out of of the eight victims have been released so far. The construction workers have been identified as Julio Cervantes, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorian Castillo Cabrera, Miguel Luna, Maynor Suazo and José López.

Mr Cervantes and another unidentified victim survived the tragedy.

AM Best, an insurance service company, is estimating that the cost to rebuild the bridge is likely to be billions of dollars though an official estimate won’t be ready for a while.

“While the total cost of the bridge collapse and associated claims will not be clear for some time, it is likely to run into the billions of dollars,” the company said. “The insurance issued the collapse of the bridge will take a long time to determine and may involve several lines such as property, cargo, liability, trade credit and contingent business interruption.”

Maryland Governor Wes Moore made the announcement on X. The funds will go toward debris removal, support mobilization, operations and laying the foundation for a rapid recovery.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore is set to hold a news conference at 6:15pm today. He’ll be joined by US Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski,  Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and representatives of the Maryland State Police, US Coast Guard, US Army Corps of Engineers and Maryland Department of Transportation.