- SCI chaplains had to bring new SIM cards to stranded Dali crew members
- The FBI seized the phones and laptops during the initial stages of the investigation.
- Miguel Ángel Luna González was identified as the fifth victim of the accident
The FBI seized phones and laptops belonging to the crew aboard the Dali freighter that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last month.
On April 15, the FBI issued a statement to the media that there were agents aboard the Dali conducting court-authorized “police activities.”
Crew members were eager to speak with trained Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) associate chaplains in their native languages when they finally boarded the ship.
The chaplains learned from the crew that the FBI had seized their mobile phones and computers as part of their investigation, which meant they had lost their contact numbers, WeChat and the WhatsApp apps they used to connect with family and friends, which made the stranded crew members even more isolated on board.
On their second visit, the chaplains brought new SIM cards and other items aboard the ship to give to the crew members, the Maritime Executive revealed.
Six members of a roadworks team died abruptly on March 26 when a container ship lost power and crashed into one of the bridge’s support columns.
The 50 m wide ship is abandoned under the bridge. She arrived in Baltimore from Norfolk on Monday, having previously made trips to New York City and Panama.
SCI workers contacted U.S. Coast Guard authorities to defend the crew members and find out if and when the FBI would return their phones.
The ship’s operator provided six new cell phones the next day to give to the crew and promised that the original phones would be returned to them at some point.
As the investigation continues, the body of the fifth construction worker who died after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse more than a month ago was finally recovered yesterday.
Miguel Ángel Luna González, 49, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, has been identified as the victim found Wednesday, the Key Bridge Unified Response Command announced.
Six members of a roadworks team died abruptly on March 26 when a container ship lost power and crashed into one of the bridge’s support columns.
Miguel Ángel Luna González has been identified as the fifth victim found on Wednesday
He was a 49-year-old man from Glen Burnie, Maryland.
So far five bodies have been recovered, but one worker, José Mynor López, has not been found.
They were all Latino immigrants who came to the United States from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Rescue crews found one of the missing construction vehicles Wednesday and notified Maryland State Police, authorities said.
State police investigators and police officers from the Maryland Transportation Authority and the FBI responded to the scene and recovered the body inside a red truck. The state police underwater recovery team and crime scene unit also assisted.
“We remain dedicated to ongoing recovery operations, knowing that behind every person lost in this tragedy is a loving family,” Maryland State Police Superintendent Roland Butler said in a statement.
Five bodies have been recovered, but one worker, José Mynor López, has not been found.
“Along with our local, state and federal partners, we ask that everyone extend their deepest condolences and support to the families during this difficult time.”
The container ship Dali has been sitting in the rubble since the collapse, but crews plan to refloat and remove it, allowing more shipping traffic to resume through the Port of Baltimore.
Officials hope to remove it by May 10, according to a news release from the Port of Baltimore.