Officials are investigating why the Mexican Navy’s tall ship Cuauhtémoc took off course, attacked the Brooklyn Bridge, killing two sailors and injuring more.
Mexican navy ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge, killing at least two people
Authorities say at least two sailors were killed and more than 12 people were injured after a Mexican naval vessel crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.
Officials are investigating what led to a tall Mexican Navy ship that took off course and attacked the Brooklyn Bridge on May 17, killing two sailors and injuring one or more sailors.
The video shared online captured the cuauhtémoc, a training vessel sailing towards the iconic bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan’s New York City Autonomous Borough. The ship’s 147-foot mast, which was brightly shining with decorative lights, was unable to clean the arched bridge and was cut off by impact.
We could see a naval cadet in white uniform hanging from the ship’s cross beam. Meanwhile, bystanders, one of the bases at the suspension bridge near South Street Seaport in New York City, fled in fear.
Of the 277 people on board, two have been killed, 22 people injured and three have been seriously injured, the Mexican Navy said on social media.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the Cuauhtémoc incident on the @Semar_MX training vessel at the Brooklyn Bridge,” Mexican US ambassador Ronald Johnson said in a post on X.
What causes the crash?
The cause of the collision is under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched “Go-Team” on its site.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Cuauhtémoc lost power just before it crashed into the bridge around 8:20pm. Decorative lights remained lit by the ship’s mast when they hit the bridge.
A little over a year happened after Dali, a 984-foot-long cargo ship, lost power as he departed Baltimore’s port, crashed into a key bridge, killing six people, and destroying critical infrastructure.
The ship was heading in the wrong direction
According to the Mexican Consulate in New York, the training ship arrived at Pier 17 in New York and was open to the public from May 13th to 17th.
Cuauhtémoc was supposed to head south from New York Port, but headed towards Iceland, but headed in the wrong direction and sailed under the bridge, officials told the New York Times and the Associated Press.
The Brooklyn Bridge, a popular tourist attraction completed in 1883, did not cause much damage, New York City Transportation Authority said. After a preliminary inspection, traffic resumed in both directions.
What happened to the ship?
All three of the ship’s masts were damaged during the collision, according to the Coast Guard.
“The Cuauhtémoc is currently moored at Pier 36, East River, as damage assessments and future actions are being determined for the vessel’s rescue plan,” the Coast Guard said.
Authorities established a 50-yard safety zone around the ship, with commercial traffic halted in the area.
What is Cuauhtémoc?
The Cuauhtémoc is a 300-foot-long, three-mast bark of steel launched in 1982, according to a recent fact sheet from the ship’s handler. According to the fact sheet, the ship and its crew, named after the last Aztec emperor and its crew, are foreign Mexican diplomatic symbols.
Contributions: Gabriel Banks and Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today; Reuters
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
