Mexican navy training ship hits New York's Brooklyn Bridge injuring 19 (Updated)

A MEXICAN navy sailing ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday (May 17) during a promotional tour in New York City, the top of its three masts slamming into the iconic span and partially collapsing as the boat floated in the East River.

AP reported New York City Mayor Eric Adams saying 19 people were injured in the crash, four seriously, but the 142-year-old bridge was spared major damage. The cause of the collision was under investigation.

In a scene captured in multiple eyewitness videos, the masts could be seen snapping and partially collapsing as they crashed into the deck of the bridge. Videos showed heavy traffic on the span at the time of the collision.

The vessel, which was flying a giant green, white and red Mexican flag, then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.

Sydney Neidell and Lily Katz told The Associated Press they were sitting outside to watch the sunset when they saw the vessel strike the bridge and one of its masts snap. Looking closer, they saw someone dangling from high on 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 said.

They said they saw two people removed from the ship on stretchers onto smaller boats.

The Mexican navy said in a post on the social platform X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in an accident with the Brooklyn Bridge that prevented it from continuing its voyage.

It added that the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry said on X that its ambassador to the US and officials from the Mexican consulate in New York were in contact with local authorities to provide assistance to “the affected cadets,” but it did not mention injuries.

The Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883, has a nearly 490m main span that is supported by two masonry towers. More than 100,000 vehicles and an estimated 32,000 pedestrians cross every day, according to the city’s transportation department, and its walkway is a major tourist attraction.

The Cuauhtemoc – about 90.5m long and 12m wide, according to the Mexican Navy – sailed for the first time in 1982.

Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets' training. This year it left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on Apr 6 with 277 people onboard, the Navy said then.

The Mexican consulate said on X on May 13 that the Cuauhtemoc, also called the Ambassador and Knight of the Seas, arrived that day and docked at pier 17. It invited people to visit it through May 17.

The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 nations, including Kingston, Jamaica; Havana, Cuba; Cozumel, Mexico; and New York.

It had also planned to go to Reykjavik, Iceland; Bordeaux, Saint Malo and Dunkirk, France; and Aberdeen, Scotland, among others, for a total of 254 days, 170 of them at sea.

Two crew killed

In a later development, two crew members were killed when the Mexican Navy’s training vessel, Escuela Cuauhtémoc, collided with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York overnight, according to reports cited by Sputnik and RIA Novosti.

Authorities are investigating a possible technical fault as the cause of the collision, which occurred while the ship was carrying over 200 people. The vessel has since been towed from the site, according to a RIA Novosti correspondent.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that of the 277 crew members on board, 19 sustained injuries, four of them serious. City officials stated that the bridge itself did not sustain any structural damage.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her condolences following the tragedy.

“We are really sorry about the deaths of two crew members of the Escuela Cuauhtémoc ship who became victims of the accident in the New York port. We would like to show our solidarity and support for their family members,” Sheinbaum said on social media platform X.

She added that the Mexican Navy, in coordination with local authorities, is offering support to those injured in the incident.

The Cuauhtémoc, a tall ship used as a training vessel by the Mexican Navy, is a frequent participant in international goodwill missions and naval events. - May 18, 2025