Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters that a female cadet and a male marine were killed in an accident
A tall Mexican navy ship called the Armada de la República Mexicana (ARM) Cuauhtémoc struck the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, May 17th at about 8:24pm, killing two sailors and wounding more than a dozen more.
The exact cause is not yet known, but after it had departed from South Street port, the ship had moved backwards along New York’s East River after colliding with the Brooklyn Bridge.
All three ship masts decorated with stringed lights collided with the bridge and were damaged upon impact. The Brooklyn Bridge was not subject to structural damage.
How the crash of a ship on the Brooklyn Bridge unfolded:
US National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) briefing starting May 19th:
May 13th, Around noon: The ship arrived in New York and was docked at Pier 17.
May 17th, Around 8:20pm: The ship left Pier 17 with the assistance of a tugboat. The intention was to sail south along the river to the east and head towards the sea.
The preliminary weather report described the current flowing towards the approximately 0.3 knot bridge. The westerly wind was blowing at about 10 knots. The ship’s speed increased to about 6 knots before colliding with the bridge.
8:24pm: As they were moving towards the bridge, the ship called for an area tugboat to assist via VHF radio, and two more requests for assistance were made.
8:24:45 PM: The ship’s mast collided with the bridge.
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.
Videos shared online from bystanders show naval cadets in white uniforms hanging from damaged masts and ship cross-beam harness.
8:27 PM: The ship has stopped.
8:30 PM: NYPD and FDNY were on the scene.
“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 U.S. Coast Guard said.
The NTSB will require anyone with a video of the incident to send an email to withins@ntsb.gov to assist in the investigation.
Which ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge?
The Cuauhtémoc is a three-mast bark of 300 feet long steel 3-mast, released in 1982, according to a recent fact sheet from the ship 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.
The ship was a Mexican Navy training vessel and was docked in New York from May 13th to 17th. We were planning to head south from New York Harbor towards Iceland.
Its mission, dubbed “Integration of Mexican Independence in 2025,” began on April 6th, with the ship scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 countries over 254 days. Before landing in New York, I was visiting Jamaica, Havana, Cuba and Kingston, Mexico.
Where is Brooklyn Bridge?
How many people were killed in the Brooklyn Bridge accident?
Mexican President Claudia Sinbaum told reporters on Sunday that a female cadet and a male Marine had died of injuries. The two victims have been identified as América Sánchez, 20, and Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos, 23.
The injured personnel were transported to a local hospital in Manhattan for care, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
According to the NTSB, New York City has helped transport 179 crew members abroad, with around 94 still on board and on board.
“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.
Why did the ship collide with the Brooklyn Bridge?
The NTSB is actively investigating the incident and refuses to provide a possible cause of crashes at this time. The agency released a preliminary report 30 days later, with the entire investigation likely taking 12 to 24 months, an NTSB representative said at a press conference on May 19.
Contributors: Gabriel Banks, Eduardo Cuebas, Sean J. Sullivan, USA Today; Reuters
read more:
How did the Mexican Navy ship collide with the Brooklyn Bridge? What we know so far
How Francis Scott Key Bridge Lost: Visual Analysis for Every Minute of Collapse
