The distraught mother of a Mexican construction worker who died after a 948-foot-long freighter crashed into a Baltimore bridge he was working on has said she is devastated he didn’t tell her how much she loved him the last time he met. They spoke.
Alejandro Hernández Fuentes, a 36-year-old father of four from Mexico, was one of six workers who plunged to their deaths in the early hours of Tuesday morning after the DALI shipping container crashed into the iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse. immediately.
His body, along with that of Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, was found by divers Wednesday afternoon inside a red pickup truck that had sunk 25 feet in the frigid Patapsco River.
Alejandro’s mother, Obdulia Fuentes, tearfully revealed to DailyMail.com this morning that her son had followed her to the United States from Mexico in 2006 because he “couldn’t stand being without his mother.”
Speaking in Spanish, as Alejandro’s niece translated, Obdulia said he had “always been a great son.”
Alejandro Hernández Fuentes, 36, originally from Mexico, father of four, was one of six workers who plunged to their deaths in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
His body, along with that of 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera (pictured), was found by divers Wednesday afternoon inside a red pickup truck that had sunk 25 feet in
The devastation at the site of the sinking, which occurred when the helpless freighter rammed it early Tuesday, is extensive.
Stunning images show the moment the ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, sending the colossal steel structure into the Patapsco River.
“I can’t find the words to express the pain I feel in my heart,” he added.
He said Alejandro, who lived in Baltimore, left behind two sons and two daughters, ages two to 14.
“From a young age he always cared about me,” she said, speaking from her home in Riverdale, Maryland.
‘He always did his best to help. He started working very hard to buy me a washing machine because he didn’t like me washing clothes by hand.’
Obdulia said she last spoke to her son last Thursday, about two hours before he left for work.
She said she “couldn’t remember” exactly what they said to each other, only that she “couldn’t tell him that I loved him very much.”
“I didn’t know it was going to be my last conversation with him. I regret not having told him that I love him,” she added. “He lives far from here, so I don’t have the opportunity to see him every day to hug him.”
Rescue personnel gather on the bank of the Patapsco River
The ship, the Singapore-flagged Dali, had been traveling for 20 minutes when it crashed into a support column on the bridge.
Obdulia said Alejandro began working in landscaping when he first moved to the U.S. and had worked in construction in Baltimore for about ten years.
On Wednesday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott confirmed that divers recovered two victims trapped inside a sunken vehicle.
Huge barges carrying cranes headed toward Baltimore on Thursday to begin the challenging work of removing twisted metal and concrete in an attempt to open a key transportation route blocked by debris.
The devastation at the site of the sinking, which occurred when the helpless cargo ship rammed it early Tuesday, is enormous.
Authorities said they would have to begin removing the twisted remains before anyone could reach the bodies of four other missing workers. Divers will resume the search once the debris is removed.
Miguel Luna is one of the workers feared dead. Authorities said they would have to begin clearing debris before anyone could reach the bodies of four other missing workers.
National Transportation Safety Board officials boarded the ship, the Dali, to retrieve information from its electronic devices and documents and interview the captain and other crew members. Investigators shared a preliminary timeline of events before the crash, which federal and state officials said appeared to be an accident.
Of the ship’s 21 crew members, 20 are from India, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesman for the nation’s foreign ministry, told reporters on Thursday. One was slightly injured and needed stitches, but “they are all in good shape and health,” Jaiswal said.
The victims, who were part of a construction team repairing potholes on the bridge, were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
The crash caused the bridge to break and fall into the water within seconds. Authorities had just enough time to stop vehicle traffic, but they did not have the opportunity to alert the construction team.
The sudden loss of a highway that carries 30,000 vehicles a day and the port’s disruption will affect not only thousands of port workers and travelers but also American consumers, who will likely feel the impact of shipping delays.