Mexican Navy Ship Hits Brooklyn Bridge, 2 Dead

New York City, United States — Two people were killed and at least 19 others injured after a Mexican Navy training vessel, the Cuauhtémoc, collided with New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday. Authorities confirmed the ship, carrying 277 individuals, lost power while maneuvering, causing it to strike the bridge’s abutment on the Brooklyn side.

Collision Details and Aftermath

Video footage captured the towering masts of the Cuauhtémoc clipping the bridge as it passed underneath. Crew members standing on the masts were thrown to the deck as the structures snapped. Brooklyn resident Nick Corso, an eyewitness, described scenes of panic, with “lots of screaming” and sailors “hanging from the masts.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated on social media platform X that two fatalities had been confirmed, with two of the injured in critical condition. Preliminary inspections revealed no major structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge, which was reopened shortly after the incident.

Police attributed the crash to a “mechanical malfunction” and power failure. The New York Coast Guard reported that the Cuauhtémoc lost all three masts in the collision but confirmed all personnel had been accounted for, with no one falling into the water.

Eyewitness Accounts and Response

Kelvin Flores, another witness, recounted the chaotic aftermath, describing “commotion and a lot of chaos” as emergency responders struggled to navigate traffic-clogged streets. “Just seeing the actual damage was insane,” Flores said. “People carrying stretchers… they were trying to get the injured out.”

The Cuauhtémoc, measuring 297 feet (91 meters) long and 40 feet (12 meters) wide, was towed from the scene. The vessel, commissioned in 1982, serves as a training ship for Mexican naval cadets. It departed Acapulco on April 6 and was en route to Iceland, with scheduled stops including Aberdeen, Scotland, for the Tall Ships race in July.

Official Statements

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the two crew members. The ship’s mast height was recorded at 48.2 meters (158 feet), while the Brooklyn Bridge’s clearance at its center is 135 feet, according to the New York City Department of Transportation.

The incident remains under investigation by local and federal authorities.