At least two seriously injured after the Cuauhtémoc sailboat collided with the Brooklyn Bridge
(Brooklyn, NY) – Two people were killed and over a dozen injured after an ornamental Mexican Navy ship collided into the Brooklyn Bridge. Authorities initially said that mechanical issues may be to blame after three of the 147-foot tall masts were crushed by the underside of the bridge around 8:20 on Saturday night. An official investigation is underway by the National Transportation Safety Board, but the results could take months.
Onlookers watched horrified as the ship being pulled through the East River toppled under the iconic bridge. The ship is a training vessel, and was docked at South Street Seaport where people could visit the promotional ship. A cadet and a sailor passed away, 19 others were injured out of the 277 people on board. The ship is called the “Cuauhtemoc” and visited New York as part of a 15-nation global goodwill tour. The ship was en route to Iceland after sailing from Cozumel, Mexico. The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum says she is “saddened” by the deadly incident. Head of New York City Transportation, Ydanis Rodriguez, says the bridge did not suffer any major damage. It was temporarily shut down but was reopened to traffic before the morning.
