Nearly $100,000 has been raised by a Maryland Latino grassroots organization for the families of the construction workers that died in the Patapsco River when the Francis Scott Key Bridge was hit by a cargo ship and collapsed on Tuesday.
Eight people fell into the water after the collision. Two were rescued after one ran from the bridge and the other swam to shore, but the other six — all workers part of a construction crew that was repairing potholes on the bridge — were missing for hours. Wednesday evening the bodies of two men were recovered and they were found trapped inside of a pick-up truck.
Authorities identified the two workers recovered on Wednesday as Alejandro Fernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk. Fuentes was originally from Mexico, while Cabrera was from Guatemala. The bodies of the other four have yet to be recovered.
The GoFundMe was closed by organizers after raising way more than their original $18,000 goal in less than nine hours. They are now asking community members to contribute to the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs’ fundraiser to support the families instead.
Dr. Felipe Filomeno, president of the Latino Racial Justice Circle (LRJC), said the nonprofit has “the contact information of each of the families so that we can deliver the assistance as soon as the funds get to us.”
More Key Bridge collapse coverage:
- ‘It was like a knife in my heart’: WTOP speaks with the company that captured the Key Bridge collapse
- Biden: Federal government should pay to rebuild Key Bridge after collapse
- Neighbors react to ‘great big noise’ of Key Bridge collapse
- How did container ship strike bring down Baltimore’s Key Bridge? An expert weighs in
- Economic impact of Baltimore bridge collapse: ‘Uncharted territory’
- GALLERY: Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses after being struck by ship
Filomeno said they were inspired to raise money for the families after the organization collected donations to support immigrant families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In 2020, we had a fundraiser also to be able to provide cash assistance to families that we knew would not be likely eligible for any federal, any type of government aid,” he said.
The volunteer-run nonprofit runs programs on education, advocacy and “community dialogues on immigration” in the Baltimore area.
“We are a group that promotes the social inclusion of Latino immigrants in the Baltimore area,” Filomeno said. “And we step up to help the community when there’s an emergency situation.”
He said the LRJC is not monitoring what families will use the money for, but the group hopes “they will use the money primarily for rent, for health care, for any immediate bills that they have now that they have lost in each family, a breadwinner.”
Filomeno also highlighted how Latino immigrants tend to be frontline, essential workers. He said he’s hopeful this horrible loss will remind Baltimore residents how much they depend on Latino immigrants in their community, especially as they work to rebuild the bridge.
“I think it will also be Latino immigrants who will rebuild that bridge, you know, as workers,” Filomeno said. “So, I think this is a testament to … how vital this community is for Baltimore and beyond.”
He expressed how thankful the organization is for the people that want to help and donate directly to these families.
“In this moment of tragedy, we thought that it’s part of our mission to stand in solidarity with them,” Filomeno said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
