2 More Cars Found in Bridge Crash

A crane hoisted two more vehicles from the water Tuesday, four days after the deadly collapse of the Queen Isabella Causeway.

At least five people were killed after barges slammed into a bridge pillar early Saturday, eventually toppling three 80-foot spans. Unknowing drivers plummeted off the road and into the water below.

One of the vehicles retrieved Tuesday contained the body of 32-year-old Hector Martinez of Port Isabel, said Trooper Adrian Rivera, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.

The bridge is the only one linking the mainland to South Padre Island, one of the Gulf Coast’s premier tourist destinations.

The department said authorities have recovered the bodies of Port Isabel Fire Chief Robert Harris, 46; Stevan Rivas, 22; Robin Leavell, 29; and Giaspar Hinojosa. The fifth victim was seen in a car in the water, but the body has not been recovered or identified.

Authorities said as many as four people remain missing and that the recovery is taking much longer than expected.

“There’s so much debris, it’s difficult to orient yourself,” said lead diver Lt. Lynn Dixon.

The wait was wearing on friends and family members of those still missing.

“It’s taking too long,” sobbed one woman who asked not to be identified. She said her daughter and son-in-law have been missing since the accident. “I need to know. I need to get them out of there.”

Investigators said they would look into whether the barges were overloaded, whether the skipper was awake at the time of the accident and whether the vessel had sufficient power to maneuver in the currents.