Two people died and 19 were injured after a Mexican navy tall ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on X. The New York Fire Department said it received a call that the boat, called the Cuauhtémoc, struck the Brooklyn Bridge at 8:20 p.m. Saturday, May 17. There were 277 people on board, the FDNY said.
The Associated Press reported that the vessel snapped its three masts as they hit the bridge’s span. The ship kept moving and drifted into a pier on the riverbank.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the Cuauhtémoc is currently moored at Pier 36 on the East River. Damage assessments and salvage plans for the vessel are being determined, and a 50-yard safety zone is currently around the ship, the Coast Guard added.
Officials stopped traffic shortly after the crash, but it resumed after an inspection.
New York Police Department Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles said the ship, which just left a Manhattan pier, was supposed to have been headed out to sea, according to the AP. While an initial report said the ship’s pilot lost power because of a mechanical problem, officials added that the information is still preliminary.
President Sheinbaum, Mexican navy respond
Naval and local authorities are reviewing the status of personnel and equipment, the Mexican navy wrote. “The Navy reaffirms its commitment to personnel safety, transparency in its operations and excellent training for future officers,” it said in a statement.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the Mexican ambassador to the United States and staff from the Mexican Consulate General in New York supported the navy. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of two crew members of the Cuauhtémoc Training Ship, who lost their lives in the unfortunate accident in New York Harbor,” Sheinbaum said on X. “Our sympathy and support go out to their families.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Sunday, May 18, that it launched a “go-team” to the Brooklyn Bridge. According to the AP, more than 100,000 vehicles and 32,000 pedestrians cross the Brooklyn Bridge every day.
About the Mexican navy ship
First launched in 1982, the Cuauhtémoc is the Mexican navy’s instructional tall ship for cadets at the Heroic Naval Military School. The Cuauhtémoc is about 297 feet long and 40 feet wide, and its main mast is 160 feet high, according to Mexican government officials.
This year, the Cuauhtémoc left Acapulco on April 6 and arrived in New York City on May 13. According to the AP, the ship was slated to visit 22 ports in 15 nations.
This story is developing.
