Mexican Navy Ship Crashes Into New York's Brooklyn Bridge; Two Dead, Over 20 Injured

A Mexican Navy’s training ship Cuauhtémoc collided with the lower part of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday (17 May) night, destroying the ship's masts and leaving two crew members dead.

The vessel was carrying 277 people when the accident occurred.

The vessel, built in Spain in 1982 with the sole purpose of training cadets, was in New York City as part of a promotion for next year’s Sail4th tall ship event, which celebrates America’s 250th Independence Day.

Mayor Eric Adams confirmed via social media shortly after midnight that two people had died, and that the ship had lost power before the crash.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on social media that the two people who died were crew members on the Cuauhtémoc.

A statement from the Mexican Navy said that 22 individuals sustained injuries—11 in critical condition and nine listed as stable.

Before the incident, the Cuauhtémoc had been docked at Manhattan’s Pier 17, situated just below the Brooklyn Bridge.

Its scheduled route included a southbound departure through New York Harbor, with a planned refueling stop at the Brooklyn waterfront ahead of a voyage to Iceland.

However, around 8.30 pm local time, the ship veered off course and unintentionally navigated toward the Brooklyn Bridge, according to the New York’s Office of Emergency Management.

In videos posted on social media, a tugboat could be seen near the Cuauhtémoc, which appeared to be moving backward, stern first, when it crashed, New York Times reported.

Despite a violent jolt, the ship remained upright and eventually came to a halt near Brooklyn Bridge Park. Visuals show extensive damage to its masts.

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