Six Latin Americans are presumed dead

The six victims of the bridge collapse in Baltimore were all immigrants from Latin AmericaLatin America describes land areas that were formerly colonies of European countries where Romance languages ​​were used. Latin America covers most of South America, Central America and the Caribbean as well as all of Mexico..

They were doing the kind of grueling work many immigrants do when a container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and plunged into the icy Patapsco River Tuesday night.

It was the container ship “Dali”, which sails under the Singaporean flag, that crashed into the bridge. The ship was going from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, on a trip that was expected to take 28 days.

Divers from the Baltimore emergency services pulled the bodies of Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes and Dorlian Castillo Cabrera from a red pickup truck at a depth of 15 meters the next day.

Dorlian Castillo Cabrera came to the United States from Guatemala to pursue his dream and help his mother, says his cousin Marlon Castillo to CNN.

Four others are still missing and presumed dead: Maynor Suazo from Honduras, Jose Lopez from Guatemala, Miguel Luna from El Salvador, as well as another person, whose name has not been released.

“My son was a good son, he went to the United States to help his family,” a tearful Nora Lopez, Jose Lopez’s mother, told Reuters.

She says Lopez had been in the United States for 19 years and had two children.

– I hope they find my son alive, she says.

One of the eight siblings of the missing Maynor Suazo, he describes him as a kind and happy person who had “visions” for the future. mnbvc

The workers who died after the bridge collapse were employed by Brawner Builders Inc., a local construction company that performs extensive work for the US government, writes the Reuters news agency.

A further two people have been retrieved from the water, where one of them is categorized as seriously injured.

Now several Latin Americans are taking the leaf out of their mouths after the bridge collapse:

– One of the reasons why Latin Americans were involved in this accident is because Latin Americans do the work that others won’t do. We have to do it, because we come here for a better life. We are not coming to invade the country, says Lucia Islas, president of Comité Latino de BaltimoreA non-profit group for Hispanics in the American city of Baltimore.to the news agency Reuters.

The water in the Patapsco River was only eight degrees when the cargo ship collided with the bridge.

– They see us as animals

News of the bridge collapse shocked Baltimore’s Hispanic community, which has nearly doubled in size in recent years, transforming the modest townhouse neighborhoods near the sprawling port complex.

Baltimore, which has struggled with high crime and a poverty rate nearly double the national average, has not historically been home to a large Hispanic population.

– We know that our people are involved. There was a crew that repaired parts of the holes on the bridge, and they are the ones who will build the bridge again – the Latin Americans, says Rafael Laveaga, head of the Mexican embassy in Washington.

Churches have been open to the mourners in the Latin American community in recent days, to honor and remember the deceased and missing.

Advocacy groups quickly raised $98,000 for the victims’ families.

Hispanic workers are more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to die on the job, according to US Bureau of Labor Statistics.The Bureau of Labor Statistics is an administrative agency under the US federal Department of Labor. The BLS is the US federal government’s premier agency for labor market economics.

– The only choice is to take this type of job, when you do not have the same salary as an American citizen can earn, says Carlos Crespo from Mexico.

– Many do not value our Latin American society. They see us as animals or believe that we live off the state. But that’s not true, we pay our taxes too, he adds.

Being investigated as an accident

Several cars, including a trailer, were on the bridge when it collapsed. The ship is almost 300 meters long, with a width of 48 meters.

According to ABC News, a report published by Cyber ​​Security and Infrastructure Security AgencyAn American federal agency that works to protect the country’s critical infrastructure against digital and physical threats. in the United States show that the ship lost momentum.

The report also shows that the ship must have notified Maryland’s Department of Transport that they had lost control of the vessel and that a collision with the bridge was possible, reports ABC.

The national transport authoritiesA US federal agency that investigates accidents in the transport sector. (NTSB) in the USA is currently investigating.

The FBI is also connected and emphasizes that there is nothing to indicate that this was anything other than an accident.

The bridge is among the world’s longest continuous truss bridgesTruss Bridge: A type of bridge construction that uses a network of triangular shaped components. and is crossed by around 11.5 million vehicles annually.

Also read: The bridge collapse in pictures: A violent crash