Officials reveal cause of deadly crash as navy ship smashes into Brooklyn Bridge
The reason why a Mexican navy ship suddenly smashed into the Brooklyn Bridge has been revealed. The strange incident led to two crew members being killed and some sailors dangling from harnesses high in the air following the collision that snapped three of the masts on the ship known as the Cuauhtemoc.
The vessel can be seen in dramatic footage reversing into the world famous bridge after it suffered 'mechanical issues' according to officials. It has previously been speculated that the ship's engines had been stuck in reverse as it was supposed to head out to sea instead of towards the bridge.
The early assertion that mechanical issues are behind the collision is based on preliminary information, officials said. A tugboat was seen in videos close to the Cuauhtemoc.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced that it was sending a team to investigate, with investigators expected to arrive on Sunday afternoon. There was no major damage to the bridge, but 19 people on the ship needed treatment and two had serious injuries.
The incident occurred when Cuauhtemoc, visiting New York on a global goodwill tour, the captain was attempting to depart Pier 17 n New York at around 8:20pm local time. Mayor Eric Adams said the ship 'lost power' and then hit the bridge, with witnesses describing the breaking of the ship's masts being like the snapping of a 'big twig'.
Sydney Neidell and Lily Katz said they were sitting outside to watch the sunset when they saw the vessel strike the bridge.
'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.
The Mexican navy said in a post on the social platform X that the Cuauhtemoc was a training vessel. It said a total of 22 people were injured.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum lamented the loss of the two crew members. 'Our solidarity and support go out to their families,' Sheinbaum said on X.
As midnight approached, the broken boat was moved slowly up the East River, going under and past the Manhattan Bridge, aided by a series of tugboats, before docking at a pier. Onlookers continued to gather on the waterfront to watch the spectacle.
Each year the Cuauhtemoc 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 April 6, the navy said. It arrived May 13 in New York City, where visitors were welcome for several days, the Mexican consulate said. The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 nations over 254 days, 170 of them at sea.
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