Fourth Body Recovered From Submerged Vehicle After Maryland Bridge Collapse

A fourth body has been recovered from the underwater wreckage of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, authorities announced Monday, as the FBI and private attorneys continue to investigate why a container ship crashed into and demolished the bridge last month.

The body was found trapped inside a submerged construction vehicle during efforts to clear debris from the channel. The individual was identified Monday but their name is being withheld from the public at the family’s request, the Maryland Joint Information Center, which is coordinating response and recovery efforts, said in a statement.

“Two victims do remain unaccounted for. There is no guarantee that the remaining two will be found, so compassion for and support for the families of the missing is our main focus when potential victims of the collapse are found,” a representative for the emergency response center said in an email to HuffPost Tuesday.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott and fellow government officials on Monday expressed their condolences to the victims’ friends and family and reaffirmed their pledge to provide whatever aid is needed to them.

“Our hearts continue to break for the loved ones of these victims,” Scott said in a statement. “As I have said from the very first moment, we will continue to do everything in our power to support these families, and provide whatever they need to persevere through this unthinkable tragedy.”

News of the fourth corpse’s recovery came the same day that both the FBI and attorneys for victims’ families announced their own independent investigations into the March 26 accident.

The city of Baltimorealso said Monday that it has hired two law firms as it considers litigation against the owner, charterer and operator of