NEW YORK CITY — Two people were killed and at least 19 others injured Saturday after a Mexican Navy training ship collided with the Brooklyn Bridge, authorities confirmed.
The Cuauhtémoc, a tall sailing vessel carrying 277 people, reportedly lost power and struck the bridge abutment on the Brooklyn side while attempting to pass beneath it. New York police cited a mechanical malfunction as the likely cause.
Dramatic footage shows the ship’s 158-foot masts clipping the bridge. As they snapped, several crew members standing on the masts were thrown to the deck. All three masts were lost in the crash, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Brooklyn resident Nick Corso witnessed the incident. “There was lots of screaming, some sailors hanging from the masts,” he told AFP. Crowds near the waterfront ran for safety as debris fell.
Mayor Eric Adams confirmed via social media that two people had died. Two others are in critical condition. A total of 19 were injured.
Witness Kelvin Flores told the BBC the scene was chaotic. “Fire engines and police were trying to get through, but traffic was everywhere. People were carrying stretchers, trying to get the injured out,” he said.
Despite the impact, the Brooklyn Bridge sustained no major structural damage. It was reopened following a preliminary inspection.
The Mexican Navy confirmed that no one had fallen into the water and that all personnel were accounted for. The Cuauhtémoc was towed from the scene after the collision.
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico expressed her condolences, saying she was “deeply saddened” by the deaths of the sailors.
The Cuauhtémoc, commissioned in 1982, serves as a training vessel for naval cadets. This year’s voyage began in Acapulco on April 6 and was intended to end in Iceland, with scheduled stops including Aberdeen, Scotland, for the Tall Ships Race.
The ship’s mast height was 158 feet, while the Brooklyn Bridge has a center clearance of 135 feet, according to the city’s transport department.
Authorities continue to investigate the full cause of the accident.