On March 26, 2024, eight workers were filling potholes when Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed.

Their routine day turned into tragedy when the Dali, a cargo ship, crashed into the bridge, sending the entire crew falling into the Patapsco River below.

Two men survived, while the other six workers died.

Who were the Key Bridge victims?

The victims who died on March 26, 2024, were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 38, Carlos Hernandez, 24, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, Jose Mynor Lopez, 35.

Pastor assists grieving families of Key Bridge victims

Grief spread far beyond Baltimore as families of the victims mourned the loss of their loved ones. Hours after the collapse, Padre Ako Walker, a Maryland pastor, was called to speak to the victims' families.

"The room was just filled with sadness," Walker said. "People were crying. People were uncertain, and you could see the pain etched on their faces."

Before he left, one mother made a special request.

"When I was leaving, that mother asked me to pray for her son," Walker said.

Her son was Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, the first recovered victim. Fuentes was originally from Mexico but lived in Baltimore. 

She asked Walker to do something he had never done — go to the morgue.

"So, I accompanied the family, and it was painful," Walker said.

Franco, the wife of José Mynor López, the final victim recovered, endured the longest wait. Her husband's body was pulled from the river in May.

In Spanish, Franco said, "Lo único que me encantaría siempre que las personas sepan que para mí, mi esposo es un héroe."

In English, that means, "The only thing I would always love is for people to know that my husband is a hero to me."

In an exclusive interview two days after the collapse, she described her husband.

"He had a good heart. He was a hard worker. He was always worried about his family, too. He died, but he was fighting for us always," Franco said.

Carlos Alexis, the brother of Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, told Walker the pain still feels fresh, even one year later. Sandoval's body was recovered on April 5. Alexis described him as a "kind, big-hearted and funny family man," who came to the U.S. from Honduras when he was about 20. 

But the families don't want their loved ones to be remembered only as victims.

"That they come here looking for a better life," Walker said. "And so, they don't want to be considered inferior."

Though the bridge will be rebuilt, Walker believes a deeper message remains.

"And so, the bridge is going to be rebuilt. But I also think as an image, we should be building bridges with one another," Walker said.

Over the past year, Walker has held candlelight vigils, raised funds, and even conducted an in-home funeral service.

He said the Latino and immigrant communities in Baltimore have learned they are not alone when tragedy strikes.