BALTIMORE – The body of the sixth and final construction worker was recovered Tuesday from the Key Bridge wreckage site, bringing an end to the weeks long recovery effort.

Jose Mynor Lopez, 37, from Baltimore, was confirmed as the last of the construction workers recovered from the March 26 bridge collapse.

Crews previously recovered the bodies of José Mynor López, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella and Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez.

“With heavy hearts, today marks a significant milestone in our recovery efforts and providing closure to the loved ones of the six workers who lost their lives in this tragic event,” said Colonel Roland Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police. 

“As we mourn with the families, we honor the memory of José Mynor López, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella, and Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez.”

Around 1:30 a.m., on March 26, the container ship Dali collided with the Key Bridge, causing it to collapse, and knocking eight men, who were repairing potholes on the bridge, into the Patapsco River.

Two men were rescued, and now, six men have been recovered from the collapse site.

Unified Command efforts ship removal

Controlled explosives will be used to remove a large span of the Key Bridge that lies on top of the Dali. The Unified Command says this process is part of what they call “precision cutting.”

“We knew that in order to safely remove the Dali, it was going to require precision cutting to be able to do it,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said. “Right now, the Dali still has anywhere from 3 to 4,000 tons of steel that’s sitting on top of it.”

Officials hope to refloat the Dali by the end of the week.

Next steps of Key Bridge rebuild

While the ship removal process is underway, the Maryland Transportation Authority held a virtual conference to discuss the next big step of rebuilding a new Key Bridge. A staggering 1,700 people registered to attend.

The timeline for the opening of the next bridge remains fall of 2028 with an estimated cost of just under $2 billion.