What we know about the victims and survivors of the Key Bridge collapse

In less than five minutes, the lives of six families changed forever.

They lost a father who liked to sing to his daughter. A grandfather who gushed about his son’s baby boy on social media. A husband who worried about his wife, about making sure he was taking care of her and their family.

Seven men fell into the dark waters of the Patapsco River when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed Tuesday morning. Only one survived. All of the men confirmed or presumed to be dead had emigrated from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador or Mexico.

They were Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35; Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26; Miguel Luna, 49; Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, 38; Jose Mynor Lopez, 35; and one as-yet-unnamed man.

They worked for Brawner Builders, a Baltimore County-based construction company, and lived in neighborhoods in the southeast region of Baltimore and Dundalk. Jesus Campos, a fellow employee, used to work the overnight shift of the bridge work before switching to other hours. He knew the “hardworking, humble men” who died, he said.

All of them came to Baltimore for a better life — not necessarily for themselves, he said, but for the loved ones they left behind in their home countries.

The bodies of Fuentes and Cabrera were recovered a day after the collapse from a red pickup truck in 25 feet of water. The body of Sandoval was recovered more than a week after. Luna, Lopez and one other have not been found. Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. said officials have turned the recovery mission into a salvage operation and could no longer safely search for additional victims without first removing the massive amounts of concrete and debris from the bridge from the waters.

Here’s what we know about the victims of the collapse.

Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval

The youngest of eight children from Honduras, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval was like a brother to Hector Suazo, his 34-year-old nephew. Hector Suazo, who talked to The Baltimore Banner from Honduras, described Maynor Suazo as a pillar of the family who was extroverted and always full of joy. He had an entrepreneurial mind and wanted to open a small business in Owings Mills, where he lived.

He was originally from the small municipality of Azacualpa. The town’s people live mostly in poverty and there aren’t a lot of jobs, Hector Suazo said. Many in the community saw migrating to the United States as a way to secure a better life. Maynor helped his family financially after coming to the U.S., sending $600 to $800 each month, which enabled the family to run a small hotel.

The family rose from poverty because of him, Hector Suazo said.

He also helped care for his 12 nephews and nieces, Hector Suazo said, and it was because of Maynor Suazo that they went to school rather than work. Maynor Suazo made sure they had what they needed, that they had food at their table.

The rest of his salary supported himself, his wife and two children. One of them was Alexa, his 5-year-old daughter.

Maynor Suazo, who worked a series of jobs before landing at the construction company during the pandemic, never talked about being afraid of the work despite the dangers of his job.

“He always told us that you had to triple your effort to get ahead,” his brother Martín Suazo Sandoval told The Associated Press from Honduras. “He said it didn’t matter what time or where the job was; you had to be where the work was.”

Maynor Suazo often worked at least two jobs, his cousin Hector Suazo said. After his night shift that lasted from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., he started working again at noon. He cleaned yards; he was a gardener; he painted houses.

Martín Suazo told The Associated Press he hoped his brother was still alive.

“These are difficult moments, and the only thing we can do is keep the faith,” he said, noting that his younger brother knew how to swim and could have ended up anywhere. If the worst outcome is confirmed, he said, the family would work to return his body to Honduras.

José Mynor Lopéz

Family members of José Mynor Lopéz confirmed to The Baltimore Banner that he was one of the men presumed to be dead. Originally from Camotán, Guatemala, he lived in Dundalk with his wife, Isabel, and their children.

Isabel, who used to call her husband “mi gordo,” told The Banner’s media partner WJZ that he had a good heart and was always worried about the well-being of his family.

“He died, but he was fighting for us always,” she said through a translator.

“Only God knows how hard my heart aches,” she added.

José Mynor Lopéz liked to go on drives and sing to his daughter in the back seat, blasting songs such as “Si Estuvieras Aqui” by Los Toros Band. Still, his voice was louder than the singers.

“Me respetan a todos niveles,” he sang to “Jefe De Jefes” by Los Tigres del Norte in a video posted on social media.

“Sea feliz cuñado,” one person wrote. You are happy, brother-in-law.

Isabel told WJZ she wants to see her husband one more time.

“I feel bad a little bit still because I want the body,” she told WJZ. “His family is desperate to see him too.”

Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera

Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera often told Luis Castillo that they were primos.

They were not actually cousins, Luis said, but Dorlian liked to joke around. He would visit Luis’ school during recess in their small town of San Luis, Guatemala, to play soccer. He was an athletic, popular guy, dribbling the ball past his friends as the center forward.

As a teen, Dorlian liked to ride his noisy, red motorcycle along with his friends to soccer games. As he grew older, though, he began to focus more on work, loading trucks in warehouses. For a while, he became a truck driver.

He left Guatemala to try his luck in the United States, following some of his neighbors and friends who came before him.

He was a happy, hardworking guy, Luis said.

“He treated people well. With respect and responsibility.”

Miguel Luna

Originally from the municipality of California in El Salvador, Miguel Luna was a husband and father of three children. He called Maryland home for nearly half his life.

“The entire Baltimore region and CASA family is lamenting this tragedy,” said Gustavo Torres, executive director of immigration advocacy group CASA, at a press conference. “Our hearts ache for the families of the victims and all those impacted by this horrific accident.”

Julio Cervantes

Julio Cervantes is recovering from his injuries after being released from the hospital Tuesday.

He was on a break when the Dali struck the pylon, his wife told NBC News.

“My husband doesn’t know how to swim,” the wife, who did not give her name to the news outlet, said. “It is a miracle he survived.”

Cervantes is from Michoacán in Mexico. His wife told NBC News that her entire family is from Mexico, including her brother-in-law, who was one of the two men whose body was recovered. She also said her nephew is among those who are still missing.

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland L. Butler Jr.’s first name.

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