Body of final victim of US' Baltimore bridge collapse found

MOSCOW: The Unified Command in charge of rescue operations at the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse site in Baltimore said the body of the sixth and final victim has been found, reported Sputnik.

"Unified Command salvage teams located the sixth victim and promptly notified the Maryland Department of State Police... The victim is identified as Jose Mynor Lopez, 37, of Baltimore, Maryland," the command said in a statement on Tuesday.

The victim was among the six construction workers who lost their lives when the bridge collapsed in March. The family members were notified by authorities and a team of mental health professionals after "a positive identification was confirmed", the statement added.

"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," Superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police Col. Roland L. Butler, Jr, was quoted as saying.

In the early hours of March 26, a commercial Singapore-flagged cargo ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore soon after it departed the port for Sri Lanka's Colombo. The bridge collapsed, sending people from a construction crew working on the bridge into the water. In April, Baltimore authorities filed a legal claim against the owner and operator of the ship.

-- BERNAMA