The Mexican navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc, which held a crew of 277 largely made up of cadets, appeared to have lost control on Saturday night and crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge, reported the New York Post.
According to the report, which quoted New York Police Department (NYPD), the Mexican navy tall ship apparently lost power shortly before the collision. The report added that the ship went backwards into the bridge and slammed its towering masts into the roadbed at about 8:30 pm (local time).
When the ship collided with the Brooklyn Bridge, two sailors were on top of one of the 147-foot masts. According to fire officials, two people were killed and 17 injured. Meanwhile, officials have not released the names of the two crew members who died.
As per the details, as quoted by NYP, the majestic Cuauhtémoc was sailing out of New York on its way to Iceland.
After the ship crashed, numerous crew members dangled for their lives from the sails. The Maximum clearance for the bridge is 135 feet. However, a collision sheared off the ship’s 147-foot masts.
Built in Spain in 1982 to train cadets, the ship was in New York City as part of a promotion for next year’s Sail4th tall ship event, which celebrates America’s 250th birthday.
What did Mexican Navy said?
After the incident, the Mexican navy released a statement. It said, as NYP quoted, “During the sailing maneuver of the Cuauhtémoc sailboat in New York, a mishap occurred with the Brooklyn Bridge, causing damage to the training ship, preventing the continuation of the training cruise for the time being.”
“The status of personnel and equipment is being reviewed by naval and local authorities, who are providing support. The Navy reaffirms its commitment to personnel safety, transparency in its operations, and excellent training for future officers of the Mexican Navy,” they added.
Witnesses speak:
With several videos of the crash emerging on social media, one of the witness Elijah West said, as quoted by NYP, “The boat was coming under the bridge, and there were sailors on top of the boat, the sails hit the bridge and then people were falling off of the boat sails.”
“It was crazy. We were standing under the bridge and we all started running. Then I saw people hanging from the sails. Police boats came around fast — about five minutes,” she added.
Following the crash, several onlookers stood by the shore with cameras and filmed the ship’s departure from numerous angles.
“We were scared — a lot of people were screaming, a lot of people were crying,” NYP quoted Romero who witnessed the ship’s crash with her sister from Pier 17.
“We were celebrating and we were saying goodbye and singing. We were all joyful, and they departed. And then they reached the Brooklyn Bridge,” he added.
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