Body of fourth person killed in Baltimore bridge has been recovered

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, salvage operations on the Francis Scott Key Bridge take place, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Baltimore. Salvage teams used an exothermic cutting torch to systematically separate sections of the steel bridge, which will be taken to a disposal site. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reaves/U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

The body of a fourth person who was killed in the Baltimore bridge collapse last month has been recovered from the scene, authorities announced Monday.

Authorities confirmed that teams recovered Sunday the body of one of the victims of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, according to a statement from the Key Bridge Response Unified Command. The statement did not identify the victim at the request of the family.  

“As we mourn the lives lost and continue the recovery operation, we recognize each missing individual is someone’s beloved friend or family member,” Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, said in a statement.

“Along with all of our allied law enforcement partners, we pledge to exhaust the physical and technical aspects of their training while deploying every available resource possible.”

Salvage teams at the site notified Maryland State Police after discovering what is believed to be one of the construction vehicles missing from the bridge. The statement said Maryland State Police, the FBI and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police later “located a deceased victim trapped inside the vehicle.”

The Key Bridge Response Unified Command said officials notified the victim’s family members on Monday.

A shipping vessel named the Dali lost power on its way out of the Baltimore Harbor late last month on its way to Sri Lanka and slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse.

Six of the eight construction workers on the bridge that night were killed in the collapse. The Coast Guard has since begun an effort to recover the bodies of the victims.  

The Washington Post and The Associated Press reported that the FBI has now opened an investigation into the incident, citing sources familiar with the matter. The FBI confirmed to The Hill that there were agents present on the cargo ship on Monday.

Tags baltimore bridge collapse Francis Scott Key bridge

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.