A Mexican navy training ship collided with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Saturday, killing two people and injuring more than a dozen others, according to officials.
In a news conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said 277 people were on board the vessel sailing the East River when it collided with the bridge shortly before 8:30 p.m. Adams stated that four of the 19 people injured sustained serious injuries. He later announced that two of them had died.
“No one fell into the water; everyone was injured inside the ship,” NYPD Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles stated. “…The ship, from what I was informed by the supervisors of the ship, it was disembarking and going to Iceland.”
The New York City Department of Transportation reported on social media that bridge inspectors had found “no signs of structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge.”
In a post on X, the Mexican navy stated that the Cuauhtemoc was damaged while sailing. Videos posted online showed the ship’s mast colliding with the bridge and breaking apart.
“I guess it was, the pilot that is assigned to navigate, you know, the boat out of the water, I believe there was some mechanical issues that probably caused the ship to hit the water,” Aramboles told the media.
Witnesses described hearing a loud crunch, followed by screams.
“All of the sudden we heard tons of screaming coming from this massive crowd that was here,” according to Torrey Leonard. “Our hearts skipped a beat because it sounded so horrible. We heard a sound similar to this wood crunch. We then stood up from our dinner and looked at the bridge, witnessing what everyone else had seen. Which was simply horrifying.”
Adams said in a social media post that the Cuauhtemoc lost power before colliding with the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Mexican ambassador to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, told reporters that the ship had been sailing for about 20 years and was on its way from Cozumel, Mexico to Iceland.
Police urged people to avoid the area surrounding the bridge, which included Manhattan’s South Street Seaport and Brooklyn’s DUMBO. The bridge was temporarily closed to traffic, but has since reopened.