Baltimore bridge victims remembered as fathers, brothers, immigrants

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge has left multiple families in the US city of Baltimore and across Latin America grieving lost loved ones.

Six men - all construction workers fixing potholes on the bridge - died when they were plunged into the water after a container ship hit the bridge, causing its collapse on 26 March.

Two bodies were recovered a few days after the disaster, but then divers had to suspend their search due to the dangers posed by the bridge debris. A third body was recovered more than a week later.

A fourth body was identified in mid-April and a fifth and sixth were recovered in May.

The men worked for an independent, Maryland-based contracting company called Brawner Builders. All were from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras or Mexico.

John Huntzberry, who used to work with the firm, told the Baltimore Sun: "These guys were friends and brothers and uncles and grandsons and nephews."

Here is what we know about them:

Suazo, 38, was confirmed to be among those missing by the Honduran Consulate in the US.

He had lived in the US for the past 18 years and was married with two children, a five-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son, his brother told US media.

Carlos Suazo Sandoval described his brother as a very hard working man who had moved to the US from Honduras in search of a better life for his family.

He said he had dreamed of owning a small business and often donated money to a children's football league in Honduras.

Some of Suazo's family members paid tribute to him on social media.

"I can't believe this Maynor, that Friday would be the last time I saw you," one woman wrote in Spanish on Facebook. "I will always remember you."

Suazo's body was recovered by a team of divers on 5 April, more than a week after the bridge had collapsed.

Luna, originally from El Salvador, was identified as missing by the non-profit organisation CASA, which assists immigrant communities across the US.

"He is a husband, a father of three, and has called Maryland his home for over 19 years," CASA executive director Gustavo Torres said in a statement.

Marvin Luna, his son, told the Washington Post that he knew his father was on the bridge overnight but did not know it had collapsed until friends called him and said: "The bridge is gone."

A former co-worker, Moises Diaz, told the BBC's US partner CBS that Luna was a kind person and a hard worker. He remembered him always sharing his food with his co-workers and friends.

Mr Diaz said Luna was like a brother to him.

His body was recovered in early May.

Mynor Lopez's family confirmed that he is one of the men missing in an interview with CBS News in Baltimore.

His wife Isabel Franco said the 35-year-old, originally from Guatemala, moved to the US almost two decades ago. She said he was a loving father to their child and three stepchildren.

"He had a good heart. He was a hard worker. He was always worried about his family too. He died but he was fighting for us always," Ms Franco said.

Hernandez, 35, originally from Mexico, was a father of four, according to the Baltimore Sun newspaper.

People who knew him described him as a "selfless man, devoted to his family and active in his church".

He was also described as a "fireball" with a big personality.

Speaking about her son's death to NBC News, Obdulia Fuentes Ortiz said: "I have a deep pain in my heart; I don't know how to describe it."

She had said goodbye to him the day of the incident and asked him to be careful before he headed out to work, unaware that it would be the last time they would speak.

His body was one of two recovered from the Patapsco River.

Officials named Castillo Cabrera, 26, as one of the six victims after his body was recovered alongside Hernandez's from a submerged pickup truck.

His relatives told CNN that he moved to the US from Guatemala to pursue his dreams and help his mother.

Castillo had worked at Brawner Builders for at least three years and loved his job.

"Unfortunately, he was in a place where no one imagined what was going to happen," his cousin, Marlon Castillo, said.

The sixth victim was identified by Mexican consulate officials as Carlos Daniel Hernandez.

On 14 April, he became the fourth victim recovered from the Patapsco river.

Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena said on X, formerly Twitter, that Hernandez "represents our Mexican workers in the US."

A third Mexican national, later identified as Julio Cervantes, was one of two men who were rescued after the bridge collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

At a news conference on 15 April, Mr Cervantes' lawyer told reporters that his client - who is unable to swim - was able to survive after escaping through the window of a work vehicle and clinging to debris.

"He fought for his life, and he survived," attorney Justin Miller said.

Another lawyer, L Chris Stewart, said that the experience had left Mr Cervantes "with severe mental and emotional pain and suffering".

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