Body of third Baltimore Key Bridge victim is recovered 10 days after collapse, with three of his construction crew colleagues still missing

The body of a Baltimore Key Bridge victim has been recovered 10 days after the collapse - the third pulled from the Patapsco as another three are presumed dead.

Construction worker Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 38, was one of six killed when a cargo ship crashed into the bridge early March 26 - spurring a frantic rescue effort to find those affected.

The father-of-two was pulled from the river days after the body of 36-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes was found by divers on March 27, inside a red pickup that had sunk 25 feet into the frigid waters.

A father-of-four himself, his body was found alongside that of Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, after the three workers plunged to their deaths the day before, after the DALI shipping container crashed into the bridge causing it to collapse.

The recovery of Suazo-Sandoval, meanwhile, occurred the same day President Joe Biden visited the site of the collapse to thank first-responders for their continued efforts, as the bodies of three of the six-man team remain lost.

'They were hard workers laboring in the middle of the night to repair potholes on a bridge that tens of thousands of travelers crossed every day,' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing the day before. 

Biden on Friday added 'Your nation has your back,' speaking to the people of Baltimore as he vowed to rebuild the iconic bridge, while renewing his call to have the GOP-dominated House pay for it.

The president went on to recount the story of the final message of the six construction workers who died in the collapse whose body is still missing, 24-year-old Latino immigrant Carlos Hernández.

During the speech - held in front of the body of water where the bridge once stood - Biden recounted how Carlos had left a message for his girlfriend the day of the disaster, saying their shift was almost over and they were just waiting on the cement they had poured to dry.

Biden, in turn, vowed to recover the bodies of the still-missing workers and not to rest until the cement was dry on a new bridge, telling those in attendance: 'We're going to keep working hard to recover each of them.

'My vow is that we will not rest, as Carlos said, until the cement has dried and the entirety of a new bridge [is built].'

Within hours, the body of Suazo-Sandoval was found, as Biden was said to be meeting with family members of the dearly departed. 

 That said, three of the men - which include father of five Miguel Luna, an unnamed 35-year-old from Camotán, Chiquimula, in Guatemala, and a worker from Mexico - each remain missing.

Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, said in a statement on Friday: 'There are families still waiting to hear if we have found their loved one.

'I can promise you, we are fully committed to finding closure for each of these families.' 

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, meanwhile, later added how the recovery of the third victim 'brings us one step closer to closure,' though added how his 'heart continues to be with all the families still waiting anxiously for their loved ones.'

The Democrat, who the day of the collapse chided reporters for asking about a replacement bridge instead of the lost lives, told citizens 'I am grateful for the first responders who have maintained focus on recovering the remaining victims and continued their work to clear the channel with the utmost care.

'We will continue to do everything in our power to support these families, and provide whatever they need to persevere through this unthinkable tragedy.'

The disaster stemmed from a container ship hitting the historic overpass - bringing it to an abrupt end after some 47 years. Formerly The Francis Scott Key Bridge, it was the third longest crossing of its kind.

Measuring in at 1,200 feet, it was named after the writer of The Star-Spangled Banner, due to the fact it stood some 100 yards of where Francis Scott Key saw the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814 - the battle that inspired the patriotic poem.

Its last inspection came in May 2021, which found that - despite being held up by just three support beams - it was in fair condition. 

After the terrorist attacks on 9/11, city officials elected not to install pier guards around those beams, calling the undertaking too expensive. A boat hit one of those beams Friday night, causing a collapse that erased the structure in seconds.

Its history, however, remains, and leaves behind a lasting legacy.