New York, May 19 – Two people were killed and at least 19 injured on Saturday after a tall Mexican Navy training ship collided with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, officials said.
The vessel, Cuauhtémoc, was carrying 277 people when it lost power while navigating the East River, forcing it to veer into a bridge abutment on the Brooklyn side, New York police said. Video footage showed the ship’s towering masts striking the underside of the bridge and snapping apart, sending debris crashing onto the deck. Several crew members were seen standing on the masts at the time of impact.
“There was lots of screaming, some sailors hanging from the masts,” said Nick Corso, a Brooklyn resident who witnessed the incident. “People were panicking.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the fatalities on the social media platform X, adding that two of the injured were in critical condition. Authorities said all personnel aboard were accounted for, and no one fell into the water. The bridge sustained no major structural damage and was reopened following a preliminary inspection, the city’s transport department said.
Investigators believe a mechanical malfunction and subsequent power outage caused the vessel to lose control. The U.S. Coast Guard said all three of Cuauhtémoc’s masts were destroyed in the crash. Emergency responders faced heavy traffic while trying to access the scene, as bystanders fled the waterfront area in confusion.
Kelvin Flores, another eyewitness, described “commotion and chaos,” with first responders carrying stretchers through congested streets.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed condolences over the deaths of two crew members. “We are deeply saddened by this tragic event,” she said in a statement.
The Cuauhtémoc, which launched in 1982, is a 297-foot (91-meter) sailing ship used for cadet training by the Mexican Navy. It departed from the port of Acapulco on April 6 as part of a voyage expected to conclude in Iceland, with stops including Aberdeen, Scotland, for the city’s Tall Ships Race in July.
Officials said the ship’s mast height was 158 feet (48.2 meters), while the Brooklyn Bridge has a listed vertical clearance of 135 feet (41.1 meters) at its center.
The vessel was towed from the scene hours after the incident. An investigation is ongoing.
