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Mexican ship lost power before ramming Brooklyn Bridge, 2 dead
Cuauhtémoc was on a promotional tour when it ran into the Brooklyn Bridge. Following the accident, the roads of Brooklyn were swamped with heavy traffic.
A huge Mexican Navy ship called Cuauhtémoc crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Saturday night, killing two people. Right before the collision, the ship lost power, said New York Mayor Eric Adams.
In a post on X, Adams said, “Earlier tonight, the Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc lost power and crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge. 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.”
The incident happened at around 8.30 pm (local time) on Saturday, May 17, as the ship seemingly lost control and its tall masts ran into the roadbed of the bridge, according to a New York Post report.
At the time of the incident, there were two sailors on top of the 147-foot high masts as the ship was going from New York to Iceland, the report added.
The ship had 277 people on board when the accident occurred. Nineteen people got injured, out of which, two have died, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. However, Mexico's Ministry of Navy said in a post on X that 22 crew members were injured, out of which, 19 were receiving medical attention.
The 142-year-old Brooklyn Bridge did not suffer any major damage during the accident, reported AP. The cause of the incident is being investigated.
Also read: Cuauhtemoc ship: All about the Mexican navy vessel that collided with Brooklyn Bridge
Cuauhtémoc was on a promotional tour when it ran into the Brooklyn Bridge. In several shocking videos making rounds on social media, the masts of the ship are seen snapping after hitting the bridge as the ship continues to sail in the East river.
Following the accident, the roads of Brooklyn were swamped with heavy traffic.
“Due to a collision investigation, avoid the area of Brooklyn Bridge, South Street Seaport in Manhattan, and Dumbo in Brooklyn. Expect heavy traffic and a large presence of emergency vehicles in the surrounding area,” said the NYPD in a post on X.
Also read: ‘US under attack?’ Brooklyn Bridge ship collision and Palm Springs explosion fuel online theories
‘Saw someone dangling’
Sydney Neidell and Lily Katz, who witnessed the accident as they were sitting outside to watch the sunset, told AP that they saw someone dangling from the ship.
“We saw someone dangling, and I couldn’t tell if it was just blurry or my eyes, and we were able to zoom in on our phone and there was someone dangling from the harness from the top for like at least like 15 minutes before they were able to rescue them,” Katz told AP.
