A Mexican Navy training ship collided with the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday night, snapping its masts and killing two people, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday.
The vessel, the Cuauhtemoc, lost power while departing Manhattan and struck the bridge around 8:20 p.m., according to the New York Police Department. The incident left 19 others injured, including two in critical condition.
"At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries," Adams posted on X.
The blast of the impact sent the ship’s three masts crashing into the East River. Footage shared online showed the ship, with its sails furled and lights strung through its rigging, approaching the bridge moments before the crash.
Hundreds of spectators had gathered earlier to send off the ship, which had been docked at Pier 17 in Manhattan since Tuesday.
The Mexican Navy confirmed the deaths of two crew members and said 22 people were injured, about half of them critically. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X that she was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life.
New York police said the ship was forced toward the bridge abutment on the Brooklyn side after losing power. “Several sailors at the top of the ship were injured when it crashed into the bridge,” NYPD chief of special operations Wilson Aramboles said.
It was not immediately clear if those injured sailors were among the fatalities.
"There was 'panic on the ship,'" Brooklyn resident Nick Corso, 23, who was standing nearby, told AFP. "Lots of screaming, some sailors hanging from the masts, looked like panic happening on the ship."
Corso said he had planned to take a photo of the ship but instead captured video of the collision. “The one thing that stood out to me was the panic on the ship, and there was a guy at the back waving for people to move away from the walkway we were on,” he said.
Despite the dramatic crash, the Mexican Navy said no one fell into the water and no rescue operation was launched. The ship had been en route to Iceland.
Seconds after it departed the pier, “suddenly we saw all the lights, how they collided, hit the bridge, and they (the sailors) all fell down,” witness Arturo Acatitla, 37, told AFP.
While the ship was visibly damaged, the New York City Department of Transportation said there was no sign of structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge. "While inspections will remain ongoing, there are no signs of structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge," the agency posted on X.
The bridge was closed for about 40 minutes but has since reopened. Emergency vehicles were seen swarming the scene, and nearby sirens could be heard.
The Cuauhtemoc, built in 1982, has a mast height of 48.2 meters (158 feet), Aramboles said. It was later moved near the Manhattan Bridge, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
"The Ministry of the Navy reaffirms its commitment to the safety of its personnel, transparency in its operations and excellence in the training of future officers of the Mexican Navy," the Mexican Navy said in a statement on X.
The Mexican embassy in the U.S. said earlier in the week: "With mariachi, folk ballet and a community full of emotion, we celebrated its arrival at Pier 17 in Manhattan."
The incident marks the second fatal ship-bridge collision in the United States in just over a year. In March 2024, a cargo ship struck and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, killing six workers.
The New York Police Department advised residents on X to avoid the area due to “heavy traffic” and “a large presence of emergency vehicles.”