Jose Mynor Lopez, was a 37-year-old member of a work crew that had been filling potholes on the bridge when it was struck on March 26 by the Dali, a container ship on its way to Sri Lanka that apparently lost power after leaving the Port of Baltimore.

The body of the last missing construction worker killed in the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March was found on Tuesday, bringing to an end a difficult salvage mission after the deadliest bridge collapse in the United States in more than a decade.

The victim, Jose Mynor Lopez, was a 37-year-old member of a work crew that had been working an overnight shift filling potholes on the bridge when it was struck on March 26 by the Dali, a container ship on its way to Sri Lanka that apparently lost power after leaving the Port of Baltimore.

Five of Lopez co-workers were killed in the collapse, and all the victims were Latino immigrants. It took six weeks to find all of the bodies, a daunting task that required divers to sift through mangled steel and crumbled concrete amid swift currents in murky water. Two other workers were rescued from the waters in the hours after the collapse.

Lopez moved to the US from Guatemala. He was married with two young children, a boy and girl, his brother Jovani Lopez told The New York Times. During a vigil last month honouring the victims whose families were still awaiting closure, mourners used a crane to hoist a Guatemalan flag in his memory.

Officials said Tuesday that salvage divers had located Lopez’s body and alerted state authorities.

“With heavy hearts, today marks a significant milestone in our recovery efforts and providing closure to the loved ones of the six workers who lost their lives in this tragic event,” Col Roland Butler Jr, the Maryland state police superintendent, said in a statement.

Gov. Wes Moore offered prayers to the friends and families of the six men who died. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to enduring support and will forever remember the lives of these six Marylanders,” he said in a statement.

There is still work ahead. The Dali, which was carrying 4,700 shipping containers when it left Port of Baltimore, is still sitting in the Patapsco River under an enormous piece of the bridge, which is part of Interstate 695 and a critical transportation link on the East Coast. Authorities have announced a goal of restoring full access to the channel by the end of May.

Officials said the Dali’s 21-member crew will shelter in place aboard the grounded container ship while crews conduct a controlled demolition to break down the largest remaining span of the fallen bridge.

Officials said the controlled demolition, which is expected to take place in the coming days, will allow the Dali to be refloated and guided back into the port. Once the ship is removed, maritime traffic can begin returning to normal, which will provide relief for thousands of longshoremen, truckers, and small-business owners who have seen their jobs affected by the closure.

Officials previously said they hoped to remove the Dali by May 10 and reopen the port’s 50ft (15.2-metre) main channel by the end of May.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FBI are conducting investigations into the bridge collapse.

Officials have said the safety board investigation will focus on the ship’s electrical system, including whether it experienced power issues before leaving Baltimore.

Maryland leaders said last week that they plan to rebuild the bridge by fall 2028.