New York, New York — Two people were killed and 20 injured onboard Mexican ship Cuauhtémoc after it collided with the Brooklyn Bridge. The accident was recorded by city surveillance cameras Saturday evening as the ship was leaving the harbor.
After leaving Pier 17 in Manhattan where it was docked and exiting the harbor, it was taken under the bridge by the current. As it passed under New York’s famous Brooklyn Bridge, three of the Cuauhtémoc sailing ship’s masts hit the bridge and collapsed.
Those broken pieces fell into the ship, hitting nearly two dozen crew members. According to the Secretary of the Navy of Mexico, a total of 22 crew were injured as the broken masts fell. Two of those injured onboard Cuauhtémoc have since died.
“As a result of the accident, there is an updated official report of 22 injured crew members of whom 11 are diagnosed as critical and nine stable. Sadly, two of the crew members who were in serious condition died from their injuries,” the Secretaría de Marina has reported regarding the Saturday evening accident.
According to The National Transportation Safety Board, the ship was “going the wrong way” when it collided with the bridge. The damage sustained has halted the ship’s tour, the Marina of Mexico confirmed.
“During the sailing maneuver of the Cuauhtémoc Sailing Ship in New York, an incident was recorded with the Brooklyn Bridge that caused damage to the training ship which will prevent the continuation of said training cruise,” said the Marina of Mexico.
The National Transportation Safety Board reported speaking with Cuauhtémoc’s captain who told investigators he lost steering of the vessel after the rudder failed. A mechanical issue involving the loss of power that resulted in the inability to steer is being investigated.
Mexico’s Cuauhtémoc training ship is currently docked at Pier 35 from where an investigation by a “go team” from the National Transportation Safety Board into the accident will proceed, they reported Sunday morning.
“The Navy, aware of the risks naval personnel face in their operations, deeply regrets what happened and reaffirms its commitment to the crew’s families to provide timely attention and follow-up to the investigations into the events that occurred to accurately determine the causes of this incident,” Mexico’s Marina added in their Saturday statement.
Mexican officials have not publicly identified the deceased pending family notification. Mexico’s Cuauhtémoc training ship arrived in New York May 14 to serve as one of Mexico’s most important ambassadors to carry the Mexican message of peace and goodwill.
