Six people, including a father of three originally from El Salvador, are now presumed dead after a container ship hit Baltimore’s iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The US Coast Guard said late on Tuesday that it had concluded the men had died and intended to suspend its massive search and rescue effort.

All are believed to be members of a crew working on the bridge and are citizens of Latin American countries.

Little information has been released about their identities, but here’s what we know so far.

Boats and helicopters have been taking part in a huge operation to search for the six missing people. Two others have been pulled from the water, with one in a serious condition.

Local media has reported that the six workers were citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The BBC has not independently confirmed this and has contacted consular authorities for comment.

One of the missing workers from El Salvador was identified as Miguel Luna by the non-profit organization Casa, which provides services to the immigrant community in Baltimore.

“He is a husband, a father of three, and has called Maryland his home for over 19 years,” Casa executive director Gustavo Torres said in a statement.

Marvin Luna, son of Miguel Luna, told the Washington Post that he knew his father was on the bridge overnight but did not know it had collapsed until friends called him and said: “The bridge is gone.”

The Associated Press reports that a Honduran man, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandova, is among the missing men.

Guatemala’s foreign affairs ministry confirmed that two of the workers were Guatemalan nationals, from the regions of Petén and Chiquimula, but has not yet named them.

The six men were employed by Brawner Builders, a local contractor that carries out maintenance work on bridges in Maryland state.

Jesus Campos, who has worked on the bridge for the company and knows members of the crew, said he was told they were on a break and some were sitting in their trucks.

“I know that a month ago, I was there, and I know what it feels like when the trailers pass,” Mr Campos told the Associated Press.

“Imagine knowing that is falling. It is so hard. One would not know what to do.”

“They were wonderful family people,” Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice-president of Brawner Builders, told the New York Times, adding that the six men had “spouses, children”.

“It’s just a very, very bad day.” (BBC)

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