A fund managed by Baltimore immigrant affairs officials after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse has raised more than $800,000 for the families of victims and will remain open until the end of August, Mayor Brandon Scott announced Friday.
The city’s fund, one of several collecting donations for the survivors and victims of the Key Bridge disaster, was originally slated to close Friday, but the mayor’s office said it planned to keep it open because of continued support.
So far, the fund, overseen by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, has received donations from more than 5,500 individuals and organizations totaling $858,164.
“This outpouring of support has shown us that individuals, both in Baltimore and across the globe, care about our region and the people who call it home,” said the mayor’s office in the statement.
In the early morning of March 26, a 112,000-ton cargo ship, the Dali, plowed into the Key Bridge, toppling the 47-year-old structure into the Patapsco River in seconds and sending six construction workers to their deaths. Seven construction workers were filling potholes on the bridge on the night shift when the ship allided with one of the bridge’s support columns, destroying the 1.6-mile structure. One member of the construction crew survived.
An early April update on the immigrant affairs office fund reported close to $500,000 in donations.
The last of the six victims’ bodies was found on May 7 and identified as 37-year-old José Mynor López.
The bodies of Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk, were recovered March 27. The body of Maynor Suazo Sandoval was recovered on April 5. The body of 24-year-old Carlos Daniel Hernández was found April 16. The body of Miguel Luna, 49, was recovered May 2.
Each were workers with the Baltimore County construction firm Brawner Builders, and each had emigrated to the United States from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador or Mexico.
Scott thanked those on Friday who have donated to the emergency response fund.
“I have given my word that we will continue to do everything in our power to support the survivors’ and victims’ families through this unthinkable tragedy,” Scott said in a statement. “As Baltimore does time and time again, we are committed to coming together to wrap our arms around our neighbors during their time of need.”
Contributions to the fund are intended to help with the immediate needs of families impacted by the bridge collapse, including covering rent, food and other costs.
“Donations to the Key Bridge Emergency Response Fund have helped us to support the families during a time of immense change and upheaval,” said Catalina Rodriguez Lima, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “Your contributions have opened doors to make sure that the families can prioritize grieving their loved one and remembering their life, in addition to making sure that they are able to connect with family members both in and out of Baltimore City.”
After a nearly two-month salvage operation in the Patapsco River, the Dali was freed from the wreckage of the Key Bridge and escorted to a dock at the Port of Baltimore on May 20.
Crew members on the Dali sent out a mayday distress signal within minutes of the collapse, allowing traffic police enough time to halt traffic across the bridge with seconds to spare before the crash. Members of the construction crew, though, never made it off.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Transit Safety Board are each conducting investigations into the cause of the crash.
