New York City officials confirmed that two people died and 19 were injured and that the Brooklyn Bridge was not damaged.
Federal officials confirmed on May 18 that they are sending a team to investigate the Mexican Navy tall ship crash at the Brooklyn Bridge on the night of May 17, which left at least two dead.
In a statement, the National Transportation Safety Board
confirmed that the Cuauhtémoc tall ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge on the East River and that updates will follow. Other details were not provided.
The Cuauhtémoc was visiting New York City on a global goodwill tour when the accident occurred. Video footage of the incident shows that the ship was moving steadily toward the bridge before all three of its masts hit it and snapped as the vessel continued to move forward with no signs of slowing.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams
said on May 17 that the 140-year-old bridge and national landmark “sustained no damage” during the incident “and is now open to the public.”
In a later update, Adams
wrote that the Cuauhtémoc had “lost power” before the crash and that 19 were injured, including two who are in critical condition. Two people died from their injuries, he said. It’s not clear why the ship lost power, and decorative lights on the ship were still on at the time of the crash.
Video footage shows significant traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge at the time of the 8:20 p.m. EDT collision. No one on the bridge was hurt, according to officials.
After the collision, the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag and had 277 people on board, drifted into a pier on the East River, video footage shows. Onlookers were also seen scurrying away as the ship approached the pier.
The Mexican Navy stated in a post on social media platform X that the Cuauhtémoc was a training vessel. It stated that a total of 22 people were injured and
noted that the crash would halt the ship’s training cruise “for the time being.”
“The status of personnel and equipment is being reviewed by naval and local authorities, who are providing support,” the post reads, according to a translation. “The Navy reaffirms its commitment to personnel safety, transparency in its operations, and excellent training for future officers of the Mexican Navy.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum lamented the loss of the two crew members.
“Our solidarity and support go out to their families,” she
wrote on X.
According to a translation of Sheinbaum’s post, the Mexican Navy, along with local authorities, are “currently treating the wounded.”
“The Mexican ambassador to the United States and staff from the Mexican Consulate General in New York are supporting the Navy,” she said.
The New York City Fire Department stated that it was alerted of the crash on the evening of May 17, the department said in a
statement.
The vessel, which was launched in 1982, has a steel hull about 295 feet in length and three masts with a height of 158 feet, according to a
statement issued by an Australian foundation in 2024. The Brooklyn Bridge has a clearance height of
about 127 feet above the East River’s mean high tide.
The Cuauhtémoc was docked at the New York City Seaport Museum between May 13 and May 17,
according to the museum website.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
