During the evening of Saturday, May 17, a Mexican Navy ship called the Cuauhtémoc crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge. Almost two dozen people were injured, and, unfortunately, two people aboard lost their lives.
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According to ABC7, the incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. near Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Mexican Secretariat of the Navy issued a statement confirming that the Cuauhtémoc was carrying out a departure maneuver as it sailed ship in New York, as part of the “Bicentennial of the Consolidation of Independence at Sea” training cruise.
As a result of the ship impacting the bridge, at least 22 crew members were injured. Half of them are listed in serious conditions, with nine of them currently in stable condition. The Secretariat of the Navy also confirmed that, unfortunately, two crew members who were in critical condition succumbed to their injuries. In total, 277 people were aboard the Cuauhtémoc.
“The Secretariat of the Navy, fully aware of the risks naval personnel face during operations, deeply regrets what has happened and reaffirms its commitment to the crew’s families to provide timely care and to follow up on investigations into the events to accurately determine the causes of the incident,” the Secretariat stated.
Reactions
Many witnesses in the area were able to watch as the Cuauhtémoc collided with the New York bridge.
“The boat was coming under the bridge,” witness Elijah West told the New York Post. “There were sailors on top of the boat, the sails hit the bridge and then people were falling off of the boat sails.”
West continued saying that, as they were standing under the bridge, the incident prompted everyone around to start running. What he saw, however, shocked him.
“I saw people hanging from the sails,” West said. “Police boats came around fast — about five minutes later. And then police guided the boat to the (Manhattan) bridge and started the rescue. It was a shock.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed the incident, confirming that the Brooklyn Bridge didn’t sustain any damage.
“We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped into action, ensuring this accident wasn’t much worse,” Adams wrote on X.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also addressed the incident on X.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of two crew members of the Cuauhtémoc Training Ship, who lost their lives in the unfortunate accident in New York Harbor. Our sympathy and support go out to their families,” Sheinbaum wrote.
As per ABC7, the Cuauhtémoc arrived in New York the same day that the incident took place. It was scheduled to visit ports across the world, including Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Iceland, and France, among others.