NEW YORK (AP) — A Mexican navy sailing ship on a global goodwill tour struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday, snapping its three masts, killing two crew members and leaving some sailors dangling from harnesses high in the air waiting for help.
Then, its three masts struck the bridge’s span and snapped, one by one, as the ship kept moving.
The Mexican navy said in a post on the social platform X that the Cuauhtemoc was an academy training vessel.
The Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883, has a nearly 1,600-foot (490-meter) main span supported by two masonry towers.
It arrived in New York City on May 13, where visitors were welcome for several days, the Mexican consulate said.
NEW YORK (AP) — Two crew members were killed when a Mexican navy sailing ship on a global goodwill tour struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday, snapping its three masts and leaving some sailors hanging from harnesses high in the air while they waited for assistance.
Although the 142-year-old bridge was not seriously damaged, at least 19 people on board the ship required medical attention, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Adams said on social media early Sunday that two of the four individuals who were gravely injured had subsequently passed away.
The collision’s cause was being looked into.
Numerous eyewitness videos showed the ship, the Cuauhtemoc, moving quickly in reverse toward the bridge close to the Brooklyn side of the East River. As the ship continued to move, its three masts then collided with the span of the bridge and broke one by one.
According to videos, there was a lot of traffic on the span at 8:20 p.m. m. clash. There were no reported injuries to anyone on the bridge.
With 277 people on board and flying a huge Mexican flag, the ship then drifted into a pier on the riverbank while onlookers frantically fled.
Despite the fact that sailors were visible floating in the rigging on the damaged masts, officials reported that nobody fell into the water.
Sydney Neidell and Lily Katz told the Associated Press that they witnessed the ship hit the bridge while they were sitting outside taking in the sunset.
“We were able to zoom in on our phone and we saw someone dangling from the harness from the top for like at least like 15 minutes before they were able to rescue them,” Katz said. “I couldn’t tell if it was just blurry or my eyes,” Katz said.
The 23-year-old Nick Corso pulled out his phone to take a picture of the ship and bridge against the sunset just before the collision, but instead he heard what sounded like a loud snapping of a “big twig.”. A few more snaps came next.
He claimed that “pandemonium” broke out aboard the ship as people in his immediate vicinity started to flee. A few people were later seen hanging from a mast.
“I wasn’t sure what to think; I was wondering if this was a movie,” he said.
In a social media post, the Mexican navy described the Cuauhtemoc as an academy training ship. According to the report, 19 out of the 22 injured required medical attention.
The two crew members’ deaths were lamented by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Sheinbaum posted on X, “Our thoughts and prayers are with their families.”.
The Brooklyn Bridge was built in 1883 and features two masonry towers to support its nearly 1,600-foot (490-meter) main span. The city’s transportation department estimates that 32,000 pedestrians and more than 100,000 cars cross each day. One of the main draws for tourists is its walkway.
According to city officials, traffic was stopped following the collision but was permitted to resume following an inspection.
Why the ship had swerved off course was unknown. According to Wilson Aramboles, Special Operations Chief of the New York Police Department, the ship had just departed a Manhattan pier and was intended to be sailing out to sea rather than toward the bridge.
He said that preliminary reports indicated the ship’s pilot had lost power because of a mechanical issue, but officials warned that the information was preliminary. According to videos, a tugboat was near the Cuauhtemoc when the accident occurred.
The Cuauhtemoc, which the Mexican navy estimates is 297 feet long and 40 feet wide (90 points 5 meters long and 12 meters wide), made its debut at sea in 1982.
The Mexican government reports that the main mast of the ship is 160 feet (48.9 meters) high.
As midnight drew near, a string of tugboats helped move the wrecked vessel slowly up the East River, past and under the Manhattan Bridge, and finally to a pier. People kept congregating on the waterfront to observe the spectacle.
At the conclusion of classes at the naval military school, the Cuauhtemoc departs annually to complete the training of the cadets. According to the navy, this year it departed the Pacific coast port of Acapulco, Mexico, on April 6.
According to the Mexican consulate, it landed in New York City on May 13 and guests were welcome for a few days. Over the course of 254 days, the ship was to make 22 port calls in 15 countries, 170 of which would be at sea.
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