Mexican Navy ship crashes into Brooklyn bridge, 2 dead in tragic accident

In front of numerous horrified passers-by, a sail training ship of the Mexican navy has rammed the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York. According to New York Mayor Eric Adams, two people were killed in the accident on Saturday evening (local time). The upper sections of the three masts of the sailing ship “Cuauhtémoc” buckled in the collision.

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Video footage shows the festively lit “Cuauhtémoc” drifting backwards towards the Brooklyn Bridge during the accident and then colliding with the bridge's superstructure. According to the New York police, the ship's propulsion had apparently failed beforehand. Sailors who had been in the rigging of the “Cuauhtémoc” at the time of the collision were particularly injured. It initially remained unclear whether these sailors were among the fatalities.

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According to Adams, 277 people were on board the 1982-built sailing ship, whose masts reach a height of 48 meters, at the time of the accident. 19 people were injured in the accident, four of them seriously. Two of the four seriously injured later succumbed to their serious injuries, Adams explained on Sunday. The Mexican navy had previously said that 22 people were injured, including three seriously.

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23-year-old Nick Corso was near the riverbank at the time of the accident and told the AFP news agency that there was "panic" on the ship. "There was a lot of shouting." He did not see anyone fall into the water, Corso added. According to the Mexican navy, no one was thrown into the water during the accident. "Therefore, no rescue operations had to be initiated," the navy explained. The New York police confirmed that no one fell into the water. The "Cuauhtémoc" had cast off to make its way to Iceland.

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A journalist from the AFP news agency saw the ship being taken towards the Manhattan Bridge after the accident. The New York police recommended via the online service X to avoid the area around the bridge due to the high volume of traffic and the large number of emergency vehicles. According to the authorities, the Brooklyn Bridge - one of New York's major tourist attractions - suffered no major damage. It was only briefly closed to traffic. The bridge crosses the East River and connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Construction began in 1869 and was completed in 1883.