Mexican Training Ship Collides with Brooklyn Bridge
New York, USA: The New York Police Department reported that the Cuauhtemoc, a Mexican training vessel, crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday night after apparently losing power. This incident directed the ship toward the bridge, resulting in the destruction of all three masts. Tragically, two people died, and 19 others sustained injuries.
There were 277 individuals aboard, with 19 reported injured—two of whom are in serious condition—and two fatalities noted, according to a post by Adams on X.
The Cuauhtemoc, a 297-foot long (91m) and 40-foot wide (12m) ship, first set sail in 1982. Each year, it concludes its training season with cadets from the Naval Military School. This year, it departed from Acapulco Port in Mexico on April 6th.
The ship’s captain lost power at 8:20 PM local time, as detailed by New York State Special Operations Police Chief Wilson Alambores during a news conference. This loss of power forced him to steer toward the bridge abutment on the Brooklyn side.
Notably, the 45-meter (147-foot) mast of the ship was too tall to pass under the arched bridge, which has a 135-foot clearance at its center, as stated by the New York Department of Transport.
Numerous sailors situated at the mast’s peak suffered injuries upon striking the bridge, Alambores confirmed. It’s unclear, however, if these individuals were among the deceased.
Mexican President Claudia Sinbaum expressed her profound sadness regarding the loss of two crew members from the Cuauhtemoc, following the ship’s collision with the Brooklyn Bridge.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of the two crew members of the Cuauhtemoc training ship,” she shared on social media.
Details of the Collision
Video footage circulating online captured a festive atmosphere, showcasing the Cuauhtemoc with its sails unfurled and a large Mexican flag flying from the stern, as it passed through the East River while spectators gathered to bid farewell.
The ship had been docked at a pier in southern Manhattan since Tuesday and was just leaving New York at the time of the accident. As it attempted to navigate beneath the bridge, the mast collapsed, and a container was dislodged, making contact with the East River. Reports indicate that the ship was later relocated nearer to the Manhattan Bridge.
This event marks the second deadly incident involving a vessel colliding with a U.S. bridge within a year, following a ship crash in Baltimore in March 2024, which resulted in the deaths of six road workers.
