brooklyn bridge ship crashes

 

Two dead as Mexican Navy ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge:

Damaged masts on the Mexican Navy training ship Cuauhtémoc after it crashed into New York City's Brooklyn Bridge

Two people have been killed and 19 others injured after a tall Mexican Navy training sailing ship crashed into New York City's Brooklyn Bridge.

Police said the Cuauhtémoc, with 277 people on board, lost power on Saturday as the captain was manoeuvring the vessel, forcing it to head for the bridge abutment on the Brooklyn side.

Footage shows the ship's towering masts clip the bridge as it passed under the structure. Crew members were standing on the masts as they snapped and fell to the deck, authorities said.

Brooklyn resident Nick Corso, who witnessed the accident, said the area erupted in panic. There was "lots of screaming, some sailors hanging from the masts," he told AFP.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed on X that two people died and two of the 19 injured were in critical condition.

Brooklyn Bridge did not suffer any major damage and was reopened after a preliminary inspection.

Police said they believed "mechanical issues" and a power cut had caused the collision.

The New York Coast Guard said the Cuauhtémoc lost all three masts. All personnel on the ship had been accounted for and no-one had fallen in the water.

Crowds fled from the water's edge as the ship hit the bridge.

Another witness, Kelvin Flores, told the BBC he was at work when he saw the crash.

He came out into the street to find a lot of "commotion and a lot of chaos" with fire engines and police trying to reach the scene but the roads clogged with traffic.

"Just seeing the actual damage was insane," he said. "People carrying stretchers... they were trying to get the injured out."

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said she was deeply saddened by the loss of two crew members in the accident.

The Cuauhtémoc was towed from the scene after the crash.

The vessel, which measures 297 feet long (91m) and 40 feet (12m) wide, according to the Mexican navy, sailed for the first time in 1982.

Each year it sets sail at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets' training.

This year it left the Mexican port of Acapulco on 6 April, the navy said. Its final destination was intended to be Iceland.

Police said the Cuauhtémoc's mast height was 48.2m (158ft). The New York transport department's website says the bridge has a 135ft clearance at its centre.

Sailors seen on video clinging to ship's mast after striking Brooklyn Bridge

Video of the Mexican Navy training ship shortly after it struck the Brooklyn Bridge shows people hanging from at least one of its masts.

At least one person is seen clinging from a rope on the top-most rung of one mast, while several others on the top two rungs can be seen crawling to the center part of the mast. A few individuals can be seen climbing a ladder to reach those stuck.

On tall ships like the Cuauhtémoc, it is a ceremonial tradition for sailors to climb the masts and rigging when departing or arriving into harbor.

At least two people were killed in the incident, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The two individuals fell from one of the ship’s masts, a law enforcement official told CNN. They were pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital, the official said.

Officials said that nobody has been declared missing.

A Mexican sailing ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge, killing at least 2. Here’s what to know

The ship is seen damaged after it ran into the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Bjorn Kils/New York Media Boat/Reuters

At least two people were killed and about 20 injured when a Mexican Navy training ship carrying 277 passengers struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York Saturday night, officials said.

Dramatic video shows the Cuauhtémoc’s masts hitting the underside of the bridge and breaking as the vessel passes underneath, with pieces falling down toward the deck.

Here’s what we know:

What happened: The incident occurred around 8:20 p.m. local time as the captain was departing from New York’s Pier 17. The ship’s masts struck the bridge, breaking on impact and sending debris falling onto the vessel’s deck. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the ship “lost power” and struck the bridge. City officials earlier said “mechanical issues” may have caused the incident, but cautioned all information so far is preliminary. The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation.

Casualties: Mayor Adams said at least two people were killed in the incident. The two individuals who died fell from one of the ship’s masts, a law enforcement official told CNN. Nineteen people were injured, with two seriously, Adams said. The Mexican Navy said a total of 22 people were injured, 19 of whom were taken to hospitals.

The bridge: There was no visible damage to the Brooklyn Bridge, which was left structurally intact by the incident. Traffic was temporarily closed in both directions for about 40 minutes, but was later reopened. Inspections remain ongoing.

The ship: The Cuauhtémoc is a training sailing ship of the Mexican Navy and a diplomatic symbol of Mexico abroad. Known as the “Ambassador and Knight of the Seas,” the ship was in New York as part of a global goodwill tour and was en route to Iceland at the time of the incident. The Cuauhtémoc was built in Spain in 1981 and acquired by the Mexican Navy to train cadets and officers. It regularly takes part in major regattas around the world. It had been docked at the South Street Seaport in New York since Tuesday.

Bridge reopens

The Mexican Navy said in its statement that no one had fallen into the water, and that no rescue operation had been launched.

The ship had been departing New York at the time and flags also fluttered in the rigging, while an enormous Mexican flag waved off its stern.

Seconds after the ship left the dock, "suddenly we saw all the lights, how they collided, hit the bridge, and they (the sailors) all fell down," Arturo Acatitla, a 37-year-old New York resident, told AFP.

"While inspections will remain ongoing, there are no signs of structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge," the New York transport department posted on X.

The bridge which leads from Brooklyn into Manhattan was closed for some 40 minutes before reopening.

Victims were taken to hospital, Mexican ambassador Esteban Moctezuma Barragan told a news conference, and sirens could be heard near the scene.

New York Police Department’s Aramboles said the Cuauhtemoc, a barque built in 1982 which had a mast height of 48.2 meters (158 feet), was sailing to Iceland when it crashed.

It had arrived in New York just four days earlier, according to a post on the Mexican embassy’s Facebook page.

"With mariachi, folk ballet and a community full of emotion, we celebrated its arrival at Pier 17 in Manhattan," the embassy post said.

The Cuauhtemoc was damaged in the "mishap," the Mexican Navy confirmed in a statement on X.

"The Ministry of the Navy reaffirms its commitment to the safety of its personnel, transparency in its operations and excellence in the training of future officers of the Mexican Navy," it said.

The ship was later moved to near the Manhattan Bridge, an AFP journalist saw.